Local councillors George Potter and Jane Tyson write their regular update for Burpham residents:

Drop in to see us!

We are continuing to hold our monthly drop-ins from 10am to 11.30am on the first Saturday of every month at M & R Barber + Brew at the Kingspost shopping parade. If you’ve got anything you would like to talk to us about, or would just like a chat over a tea or coffee (we’re buying!), please pop in to see us.

Burpham Community Hub gets ready to launch!

We are incredibly excited that this summer an agreement has finally been reached between Burpham Community Hub (BCH) and Guildford Borough Council (GBC) to allow the BCH to take over the running of the community hall in Sutherland Memorial Park during the times when it’s not being used by Peter Rabbit Nursery.

Both of us are enthusiastic supporters of the BCH project, and look forward to helping it get up and running so that the hall can be made available to the whole community for public events and hiring out this autumn!

Village sign repainted

Thank you very much to the residents who brought to our attention the rather bedraggled and shabby state of our village sign. After a few months wait, the wonderful people in the GBC parks department took the sign down and gave it a fantastic new black and gold paint job this summer, and it is now back up in pride of place on the edge of the park next to the Sainsbury’s roundabout – keep an eye out for it!

Speed limit review for Burpham

In response to concerns from residents about road safety on Burpham Lane and New Inn Lane, George Potter, as county councillor, has arranged for the local highways budget to fund a review of speed limits. That review was carried out this spring and, to our delight, Surrey Highways were able to stretch the budget much further than they originally thought, and have reviewed speed limits on every major road through Burpham!

We are continuing to hold our monthly drop-ins from 10am to 11.30am on the first Saturday of every month at M & R Barber + Brew at the Kingspost shopping parade.

An online public consultation will now take place this autumn on proposals for a new 20mph speed limit on Burpham Lane, a 30mph speed limit on Clay Lane and the parts of London Road currently at 40mph, and on extending the New Inn Lane 30mph speed limit all the way up to the railway bridge, at which point it would switch to 40mph as you go under the bridge into Merrow. We will promote the consultation on Nextdoor, Facebook and through the Burpham Community Association mailing list once it starts.

London Road active travel scheme

There is still no definitive news about the future of the London Road active travel scheme which would have seen new pedestrian crossings, as well as cycle lanes, installed along London Road through Burpham. The county council originally promised a decision by the start of the school holidays, but then delayed it due to the general election. The latest we’ve heard is that a new safety assessment report has been produced and is due to be discussed with stakeholders in September, with the new date for a decision looking likely to be in October. We find the delay and uncertainty very disappointing, especially given that just over half of residents were in favour of the scheme in the consultation, as opposed to just under a third who were opposed to it. New 10-year strategy for Guildford borough
Following on from a rapid and successful financial turnaround (challenges remain but last year’s risk of potential bankruptcy has rapidly receded), councillors at GBC have just adopted a new strategy document setting out the council’s five key priorities for the next decade. These are a more sustainable, a more prosperous, and a more inclusive borough, providing decent and affordable homes, and a resilient and well-managed council. You can view the new strategy online here: guildford.gov.uk/corporatestrategy

…the county council has a scheme allowing anyone to request that a tree be planted on highway land on their street…

Free trees!

Improving our natural environment and creating more habitats for wildlife is really important to us, so in case you weren’t aware, the county council has a scheme allowing anyone to request that a tree be planted on highway land on their street: surreycc.gov.uk/roads-and-transport/permits-and-licences/planting-trees

The Woodland Trust are also offering free trees to community groups or schools wanting to plant and maintain new copses, hedges or woodlands. The deadline to apply for delivery of trees by November is closing soon, but the deadline to apply for the delivery of trees by March hasn’t been set yet, so please get in touch with us if you’d like to help make this happen somewhere in Burpham: woodlandtrust.org.uk/plant-trees/schools-and-communities