We’ve done it!

The second Community Public Access Defibrillator is up and running!

Thank you to everyone who has contributed – from our wonderful local businesses to our equally marvellous members of the community. Special mentions go to Burpham Football Club, Guildford City Cricket Youth Project, Burpham Bowling Club, the local WI, Seymours Estate Agents, Guildford Lions, as well as Surrey County Council and the Rajdoot. We kicked off our fundraising a couple of years ago and we’ve been delighted with the response from the community. As you know, the first cPAD was fitted outside Aldi last year and the second one is on Sutherland Memorial Hall, so accessible to bowls, football, cricket, tennis players and others who use the park.

We worked with The Community Heartbeat Trust who have helped to install thousands of cPADS in local communities around the country. We’re planning to run some training sessions in the next few months so if you’re interested in attending then please send an email to cpad@burphamca.org.uk.

Flood Forum

The Burpham Flood Forum was held at the Village Hall on Friday 9th December 2022.

Chaired by Angela Richardson MP with agencies concerned with surface water and river management – GBC, SCC, Thames Water, the National Trust – well represented the meeting followed the details contained within the Action Plan prepared and updated by members of the Flood Action Group which you can access on our website. This allowed a detailed discussion concerning the state of the Gosden Hill and London Road Culverts, the watercourse of the Merrow Common River, bank erosion, flood defence issues and associated riparian responsibilities. Maintenance and upkeep also featured strongly with the high erosion on the Wey Navigation between Old Buck’s Weir and Bowers Lock a particular concern, as well as problems associated with the Riverside Nature Reserve. The meeting concluded with a number of important aspects agreed for further investigation and action by specific groups of attendees. The importance and efforts of all concerned are much appreciated by the local community, a significant number of whom have experienced real problems in the past.

London Road Active Travel Scheme

The public meeting on January 5th was very well attended and lively, showing the depth of feeling about the proposed road closure to enable the cycle lanes to be improved.

The BCA is playing an active part in the London Road Action Group (LRAG) along with the Burpham Neighbourhood Forum, the Abbotswood, Ganghill and Boxgrove Avenue Residents Associations and local councillors.

At the time of writing in early February, Surrey County Council have corrected some of the errors in the information they had previously provided. They have agreed to reconsider many aspects of the scheme and its implementation. Work will not start until revised proposals have been fully consulted on, with LRAG and others and not before the start of the school summer holidays. This is intended to prevent interference with the May council elections as well as GSCE exams.

The BCA and LRAG are hoping that improvements can be made to London Road which benefit the whole community and cause much less disruption than the original plans.

Other news

Borough Council elections take place on Thurs 4th May.

The BCA will be holding a hustings on Thursday 23rd March in the Village Hall, starting at 7.30pm. Refreshments will be provided.

Prospective candidates for all parties have been invited. They will be given time to speak about their plans for Burpham – no national or party politics – followed by questions from the floor. You may submit a question in advance if you wish – please email to secretary@burphamca.org.uk

NB Voter ID will be required for this and all future elections; passports, driving licences and a variety of other photo IDs will be accepted. You can find a full list on GBC’s website.

Dates for your diary

Burpham Community Association AGM

The AGM will be held on Thursday May 25th in the Village Hall, beginning at 7.30. Refreshments will be provided.

Summer Social Event

This is on Saturday 24th June, starting at 7.30pm and will celebrate the BCA’s Golden Jubilee. There will be a wine tasting and a quiz with prizes.

More details about these events will be in the May/June edition of Burpham Pages.