Many people have told us through the recent consultation that we need more sustainable transport, but this brings with it a new set of challenges. See this article on the BBC website regarding cycling in Copenhagen Copenhagen’s piles of bicycles. All these extra challenges need to be thought through to provide an optimum transport policy for Haslemere.

Could this be you or do you have any suggestions as to possible candidates? – Closing Date for applications/nominations October 3rd 2014.

HASLEMERE VISION (https://haslemerevision.org.uk) seeks a talented and experienced Editor/Writer (the Editor) to draft the Neighbourhood Plan which is being developed following widespread consultation of residents, in accordance with the Localism Act 2011 (see below for background). There will be two parts to the Plan: first, an aspirational/vision section which sets the context and, second, the formal plan drawn from policies drafted by specialist teams. It is envisaged that the editor would start work on or before the 1st November 2014. Stages of drafting will be presented to the Steering Group for approval between December 2014 and May 2015. The present aim is to complete the document ready for external examination by the end of July 2015.

The Role The Editor, with a small support team providing required expertise, will be asked to develop a proposal for the structure and contents of the two parts of the Plan and then write it in language appropriate to a planning document, while being comprehensible to a lay readership. The Editor will advise on the design, layout and illustration of the Plan and ultimately will prepare the document for printing. The Editor will be responsible to the Haslemere Vision Steering Group, of which s/he will become a member.

The Person The Steering Group seeks a volunteer from the Haslemere area who has the capability and capacity to take the lead in writing the Neighbourhood Plan. To produce the high quality document envisaged, the Editor will, ideally, have the following skills and attributes:

• the ability to write good, clear, grammatical English in a style that, where appropriate, can inspire
• experience of drafting and designing similar documents (see links below) to a timetable, working with a team
• planning expertise is not essential as volunteer expert advice will be available
  good IT skills
• impartial and disinterested (not closely identified with any lobby group or other community organisation promoting a specific solution to the issues being addressed)
• able to attend meetings in Haslemere as required
• able to start soon, and no later than 1 November 2014

Haslemere Vision seeks an Editor to work as an unpaid volunteer, with expenses reimbursed. This should be a rewarding task and will be a great service to the Haslemere community.

To apply or nominate, please email info@haslemerevision.org.uk, get in touch via Facebook or Twitter right away.

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Background

HASLEMERE VISION (https://haslemerevision.org.uk) is a volunteer community organisation set up, with the support of Haslemere Town Council, to consult the local community and draft a Neighbourhood Plan for the Town in accordance with the Localism Act 2011. The Town Council will submit the Neighbourhood Plan to Waverley Borough Council. Provided it complies with national planning guidelines and is consistent with the Waverley Local Plan, Waverley will put the Neighbourhood Plan to a local referendum. If more than 50% of those voting vote in favour of the plan then the policies it proposes will have legal force.

A two- part plan is envisaged. The first, “A Vision for Haslemere”, will not be put to referendum but will set the context for the plan itself by setting out a vision for Haslemere in 15 to 20 years’ time. The second part – the formal “Neighbourhood Plan” (as defined by the act) – will set out policies, relating to land use and development in the area. These will be designed to influence future development of Haslemere in ways consistent with the community’s vision and preferences. This document will be put to a referendum and, if successful, become part of local planning law. For examples of other successful neighbourhood plans, have a look at Thame at www.southoxon.gov.uk and Tattenhall in Cheshire at www.tattenhallpc.co.uk

In 2012/13 Haslemere Vision consulted residents about the sort of Haslemere they would like to see in 15 to 20 years’ time and about the issues they consider to be important for its future. A second round of consultation is now under way to test the community’s preferences for alternative possible responses to the key issues identified in the earlier consultation. This second consultation will, itself, be in two stages. Stage1, covering business, economy, townscape, traffic, transport and parking issues, is under way now. Stage 2, covering housing and land use issues, will take place in December 2014 and January 2015. The aim is to complete analysis of the feedback from Stage 1 by mid-September 2014 and of Stage 2 by the mid February 2015. Based on these analyses groups of volunteers will produce first drafts of the relevant policies for inclusion in the plan. These will be passed to the NP editor and her/his team by mid November 2014 for Stage 1 and mid April 2015 for Stage 2. The aim is for the first formal draft of the NP to be complete and submitted to HTC by the end of May 2015. Further work will then be required to accommodate any changes agreed with Haslemere Town Council such that the document can be printed, ready for external examination, by the end of July 2015.

The time has now come to start to plan and organise the drafting and production of the two parts of the final document and we are seeking an editor/writer to lead this process.

Haslemere Vision is appealing to all Haslemere residents to respond to a community opinion survey that will be delivered to every household within the Haslemere Town boundary during the week commencing June 23rd. It is important that as many local residents as possible take the time to read and respond to the survey before the closing date of July 31st

Last year, Haslemere Vision asked the community what issues were important for the future of our town and villages. Now it is seeking the views of all local residents on important choices the community will have to make in response to some of the key issues that were identified by the responses it received.

The survey is the first part of a two stage consultation. It deals with issues relating to the future of our roads, transport, traffic and parking and also the future of the local economy. A second stage of the consultation, planned for September or October of this year, will cover issues relating to housing, development and land use.

The responses received to the survey will influence the policies included in a Neighbourhood Plan to be produced later this year. The right to prepare a Neighbourhood Plan is a key provision of the Localism Act 2011 which aims to encourage and empower communities to take a greater role in the planning and development of their towns. The Plan will be put to all residents of Haslemere in a referendum in 2015 and, if more than 50% of those voting vote yes, the policies proposed in the Plan will have legal force. This means that they will have to be taken into account by developers and by Waverley Borough Council in its planning decisions and development control activities over the next 15 or so years.

Haslemere Town Mayor Penny Bradley said “The Localism Act gives communities a real opportunity to have a greater say in the way their local areas develop and I would urge all who live and work in Haslemere to consider the choices set out in the Haslemere Vision consultation document and make their views count by completing and returning the response form.”

The survey can be completed on line at www.haslemerevision.org.uk or by completing the paper response form that will be delivered with the survey document and either returning it to one of several drop off points located around the town or by mailing it to Haslemere Vision c/o Haslemere Town Hall.

Our local shops face growing competition from other shopping centres and the internet. Maintaining and improving convenient access to the shops, whether by car, bus, bicycle or on foot will be of great importance in preserving the viability of shops in Old Haslemere, Wey Hill and Hindhead and Beacon Hill.

Given Haslemere’s hilly terrain, the distances which some have to travel and an infrequent bus service, the car is the main form of access to the shops. Although there is some on-street shopper parking in all shopping areas, the car parks at Chestnut Avenue and the High Street in Old Haslemere and at the Fairground and Tesco in Wey Hill play a vital role in providing access to our shops .These use old-fashioned coin operated ticket machines which either require shoppers to have the correct change or irritate them because they have to over-pay. The charges also discourage convenience shopping for one or two items. It is probable that these parking difficulties will deter shoppers, contributing to the growing financial pressures on our shops. Furthermore, as the town’s population grows, traffic growth on our roads will make walking and cycling within and through the town increasingly unattractive.

To improve the visitor and shopper experience and so support local businesses:

• Should we support the use of public funds (perhaps from Community Infrastructure Levy payments) to fund ‘Green Route’ initiatives to achieve a better balance between car access and bus, pedestrian and cycle access? These would improve the current network of routes for pedestrians and cyclists, linking Old Haslemere, Wey Hill and the Station with the outlying settlements of Hindhead, Beacon Hill and Grayswood and the countryside beyond.
• Should we seek the separation of pedestrians and cyclists from car traffic where advantageous, together with progressively improved signage, surfacing and drainage?
• Should we propose the introduction of new ticket machines or payment mechanisms that make payment more convenient, such as allowing the use of contactless debit cards, credit cards or mobile phones. Such methods could allow the application of discounts for Haslemere residents or free parking periods.
• Should we propose the development of a new purpose-built route linking Old Haslemere to Wey Hill via a new segregated route for pedestrians and cyclists helping to unify these two parts of Haslemere? This route would be purpose-built, flat and wide, designed for a wide range of non-car users such as cyclists, parents with prams, walkers and mobility scooter users.

What do you think? Let us know your views by completing the survey you that Royal Mail will deliver to you during the week commencing June 23rd 2014!

Meanwhile look out for our next article that will explain the aims of the survey.

No issue has caused more debate in Haslemere than what measures we should take to manage the impact of parking on the look and feel of the town, on the quality of life of its residents, on the vibrancy of the local economy and on the enjoyment of the town by visitors. The trade-offs involved are many and complex. There is no simple “right” answer. In the space of this brief article we cannot adequately address all the relevant considerations but, in a community consultation survey that will be sent to every household in late June, Haslemere Vision will seek your views on the many options that have been identified. Here we focus on commuter and residents’ parking.

Haslemere Station attracts 3,000 rail users and 900 cars every weekday. About 550 use car parks and the remainder park on roads. Substantial growth in demand is forecast because of housing growth in the station’s catchment area. Should we seek to reduce that growth by:
• favouring housing development within walking or cycling distance of the station,
• improving access for cyclists and pedestrians,
• encouraging park and ride, electric cycle hire and car sharing schemes
• making commuter parking more expensive?

Another option might be to increase parking capacity, by the addition of one or more levels to existing car parks and opening the car park on the north side of the station but to offset this by reducing on-street all-day provision by a similar amount with a parking permit scheme for local residents and those who work in Haslemere.

Alternatively, should we accept that growth in commuter parking is inevitable and plan to accommodate it by supporting the provision of additional off-street parking capacity without making any changes to on-street parking provision other than reacting to demands for residents-only parking on a street-by-street basis?

Future housing development in Haslemere could also lead to a significant increase in on-street parking. To minimise any increase developers must, at least, be required to follow the W B C Parking Guidelines for residential developments published in October 2013. Should we propose an increase in the in the parking guidelines? In addition to residents’ parking spaces within the curtilage of the property developers should developers be required to provide safe storage for cycles and and/or contribute to other green transport projects.

Should we propose the introduction of further zoned parking areas for residents in order to restrict parking in some key streets to the residents living within the street or, if desired, in a wider zone? The implications of the displacement of non-residents already parking in such streets would need to be carefully considered before such restrictions were introduced.

What do you think? Let us know your views by completing the survey you that Royal Mail will deliver to you later this month!

Meanwhile look out for our next article that will look in more detail at access and parking in the town centre

Have your say on the future of our roads and streets

Traffic and parking are two of the biggest issues currently of concern to our community. Both can have a negative impact on our daily lives by adversely affecting the attractiveness and functioning of our streets, our safety and the environment. Both will increase in future as a consequence of additional housing development in Haslemere and nearby areas. In today’s article we discuss 3 key questions:

How do we see the future of our roads and streets?
Should we:
• Give priority to motorised traffic by supporting street designs that promote the most efficient transit of cars and lorries? This would inevitably make life more difficult and dangerous for other road users (especially pedestrians and cyclists) as well as increasing noise and pollution
• Encourage other forms of transport such as park and ride, taxi shares, Hoppa buses and electric bike schemes?
• Promote a combination of the above? Allow for some short term traffic growth and increase in parking provision alongside measures that reduce the dominance of car traffic, encourage public transport use, make better provision for cycling and walking, and/or develop non-motorised routes.

How can we balance the needs of all road users including pedestrians, cyclists, the elderly, children and those
with mobility difficulties?
Options could include:
• Imposing speed restrictions (20 mph?) in selected parts of the town
• Introducing traffic management around schools at key times of day
• Creating a one-way street system and a pedestrian area around the War Memorial in the High Street
• Restricting large vehicle access to the town centre

How can we promote access for all?
Some residents on low incomes or with mobility difficulties (including the elderly and very young), face real
difficulties and expense getting around. This limits access to employment, shops, health, education and social
services. To promote access for all should we:
• Improve access to the station, providing more space for cycles, buses, taxis, electric bike storage and charging?
• Subsidise transport schemes that assist young or unemployed people to lease/buy small cars, mopeds or bikes so they can travel to work?
• Subsidise improved public transport or other transport methods that reduce dependence on cars ?

What do you think? Let us know your views by taking part in the consultation process!

Meanwhile, look out for next week’s article in which we will discuss parking issues and options.

The Localism Act 2011 gives significant new rights and powers to local communities. These help ensure that local people and groups have a real opportunity to actively shape and influence the community facilities and services that underpin our everyday life:

The Community Right to Challenge enables the community to submit an ‘expression of interest’ in taking over a local authority service that we believe could be run more effectively by Haslemere Town Council or other community and voluntary groups. Examples could include parking within the town and youth services.

The Community Right to Bid can be used to protect buildings and amenities that play a vital role in local life by allowing the community to nominate them for registration as ‘assets of community value’. When registered assets come up for sale or change of ownership, the community is given time to develop a bid and raise the money to buy the asset when it comes on the open market. Assets that we could register include sports/recreational facilities (e.g. The Herons), cultural amenities (e.g. Haslemere Museum), youth centres (e.g. Wey Hill Youth Campus), health centres/hospitals (e.g. Beacon Hill surgery), open spaces (e.g. Wey Hill Fairground Car park, Lion Green), pubs and shops.

The Community Right to Build allows the community to propose small scale, site-specific, community-led developments. Examples could include a youth facility, an arts centre or a housing association development to provide affordable housing.

Such initiatives will of course only succeed in the long term if there is sufficient community support to fund the initiatives and to staff and sustain any new facilities or services. However, if we fail to take advantage of these new rights we will have less scope and opportunity to create or protect valued community assets or set up new community organisations to run local activities and services. This means that the future of our town will depend largely on the decisions of external authorities.

Do you favour using these new rights for the benefit of the community? Do you have ideas for specific projects that might benefit our local facilities and services? Let us know what you think and help determine the future of Haslemere – we look forward to your suggestions!

Look out for next week’s article in which we will discuss the future of our roads and streets.

Come to a community planning workshop

on Saturday 21st June – 2- 5.30pm
at The Wey Centre, The Fairground, Wey Hill, Haslemere, GU27 1DQ

The Community’s Vision for future uses of the Fairground Common at Wey Hill

What ideas do you have?
1. Revert back to recreational common land
2. Range of communities uses
3. A car park
4. Your ideas………………

RSVP (to help us with our organisation)

For more information:
email: info@haslemerevision.org.uk
Twitter: @HaslemereVision
Facebook: www.facebook.com/HaslemereVision

Map of The Wey Centre: