Further round of consultation for village plans

Changes to the road and pavement layout in Cranleigh have been proposed by the county council

Plans to make a Surrey village feel "less car dominated" will be sent out for further consultation after petitioners raised concerns about previous efforts.

Surrey County Council put forward a scheme for Cranleigh that would widen pavements, make the Fountain Square area more pedestrian friendly and replace a roundabout with a T-junction.

But petitioners argued there had been a lack of consultation over the changes to the High Street.

They raised concerns the plans would have increased traffic noise and pollution, make it less safe for cyclists and pedestrians, and damage local businesses.

About 1,100 people urged the council to halt the changes, more than double the amount who responded to the initial consultation, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Regular meetings

The council’s lead member for highways and transport, Matt Furniss, confirmed there would be a “further round of engagement”.

Lead petitioner Philip Chapman argued a future consultation should not be on current plans, but that the council should consider ideas from residents.

Councillor Liz Townsend said officers, residents and the Chamber of Commerce met regularly and the issue was discussed in parish council meetings.

But campaigners argued this did not stretch far enough, with only 472 people responding to the initial consultation out of Cranleigh ’s 12,697 population, according to 2021 census data.

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt, MP for South West Surrey, said in March he had been talking to the president of the Cranleigh Chamber of Commerce about the planned changes.

The conversation took place on the same day Mr Hunt claimed £100,000 was "not a huge salary" for people in his constituency.