Is Burpham becoming a health desert?

Burpham is becoming a health desert. The New Inn Doctors’ Surgery closed some time ago, and patients now have to travel to doctors in neighbouring wards such as Merrow Park Surgery in Merrow.

Neighbouring surgeries were already overcrowded when New Inn Surgery closed. Getting appointments is a competitive game and it operates largely during office hours which makes it complicated for working people. Many of us feel wary of calling about seemingly minor ailments, and put up instead with discomfort and early symptoms which should be checked.

This is not to say that doctors and nurses are not doing an heroic job. Many people comment that front line staff are excellent when you get to see them. The problem is getting time from them in the first place.

It is not just doctors we are missing: we have no chemist in Burpham, an absence which intensified when the Boots branch on Kingfisher Drive closed down. Happily, a new pharmacy has opened on Kingfisher Drive, but Burpham itself remains unserviced.

Looking ahead, the plans for Gosden Hill do not yet include a doctors’ surgery though this was envisaged in the council’s original plan for the site. This can only add to the pressure on the east side of Guildford. Even if a surgery is provided on the new estate, residents will look to Merrow Park Surgery and chemist in the years before the estate is populated enough to make it viable.

A new health hub is planned for the Weyside Urban Village now under way in Slyfield, though there is already a chemist in that ward. That is very good news for the people in Bellfield & Slyfield ward, but little consolation to Burpham. We think the time has come to challenge the NHS Surrey Heartlands about their slow progress in serving residents in Burpham.

Elbow room

Residents express their views about the access to Gosden Hill site.

One of the biggest objections we had to the Gosden Hill proposal was the access route to the site. This takes vehicles from London Road into a sharp left turn at Great Oaks Park and immediately into the London Road. That’s a 180 degree turn for large vehicles.

The same vehicles will then head up a residential road with only one pavement and many families who use it, including children on their way to school.

At the top of the road, the vehicles then come to an elbow bend where London Road meets Merrow Lane and do another oblique turn before entering the site on the left.

Residents have recently had a taste of what life might be like when Gosden Hill construction begins. The redevelopment of two houses on the ‘elbow’ has brought construction traffic up this route meaning constricted access at a dangerously sharp bend, parked vehicles obstructing a view of the bend and the usual noise and spillage associated with building work.

Around a quarter of residents on London Road and Merrow Lane have written about their experiences. Whilst everyone understands the temporary inconvenience of building works, they do express anxiety about danger and disruption when 2 houses become 300 houses and the number of vehicles that will bring.

BCA has summarised the letters we have received and forwarded it to the team conducting the review of the Gosden Hill proposal as well as the Highways Department of Surrey County Council. We await a response.

Weybrook potholes

We are concerned about the potholes on the main roads of Weybrook estate, and particularly the ones on Bowers Farm Road.

We are now reporting all sightings to Surrey County Council which has receives extra money from the government to deal with potholes. Let us know if there are any in your road.

Coming up

January

2026 Winter Lectures

Every Friday in January at 7.30pm at Village Hall in Burpham Lane | FREE

2 January
Guildford Through the Ages (Niels Laub)

9 January
St Luke’s Church Burpham: Past, Present & Future (Jane & David Agg)

16 January
Growing Panes: A short history of the glasshouse (Andrew Plumridge)

23 January
The Bayeux Tapestry (Sue Hackman)

30 January
Quarks to Cosmos: Scales of the Universe (Philip Harris)

Flood Forum

Chaired by our local MP, and attended by utility organisations, this group looks periodically at flooding issues in Burpham and Merrow, and of interest to affected householders.

10-12am | Friday 9 Jan | Village Hall

Winter scavenger hunt for kids

A hunt for natural wintery treasurers. Pick up your bag and list between 10-10.30 at Sutherland Hall. Prizes for the first full entry returned to us, one for the most colourful collection and one for the most unusual collection.

10-10.30am start | 11.30am deadline| 11.40am prizes! | Sat 17 Jan| By Sutherland Hall

BCA short seminar

Discussion meeting to identify our priorities for 106 money coming out of Gosden Hill and how to push for them.

7.30-8.30pm | Tue 20 Jan | Astolat Building in Coniers Way off New Inn Lane

February

History hunt

An online ramble to explore Burpham’s hidden history. Opens on our website 1 Feb, with completed forms returned by 7 Feb for prizes. The Hunt will remain on the website thereafter.

1-7 February online | FREE

Greener, cheaper living

An open meeting for residents

• How to save energy (Jane Tyson)
• How to ‘go green’ in your garden (Brian Creese)

7.30-8.45pm | Fri 6 Feb | Village Hall

Brooklands Museum

Petrolheads alert! Guided tour round museum and visit the old track. The museum is a highly-regarded collection of cars and airplanes. We have to book for you in advance to secure reduced price so please RSVP if you wish to attend.

Sat 7 Feb | Cost £25 in advance by 9 Jan, plus £7 for the Concorde experience if you wish to join that. | Meet 11am in the Brooklands Museum car park KT13 0SL.