Cobham Heritage

Save Our Villages and Our Green Belt!

As we reported recently, Elmbridge Borough Council’s (EBC’s) consultation on the new local plan starts on Monday 19th August at 9am and finishes on 30th September 2019. To take part in the consultation you must first register at www.consult.elmbridge.gov.uk and to attend EBC’s public briefing meeting on Monday 2nd September 2019, go to www.elmbridge.gov.uk/localplan.

It is really important that we all take this chance to comment on number, density and siting of new housing, the need to protect our green belt and green spaces from development and the necessity of adding appropriate infrastructure not just houses!

We set up the Cobham Green Belt Group to act as an umbrella bringing together our group and other local groups concerned about these issues so that we could all speak with one voice. Cobham Heritage is strongly represented on this group by four of our Trustees including Adrian Wise, one of our planning officers who is its chair. Please register for updates from them at www.cobhamgreenbelt.org.uk. This group includes Cobham Heritage and also the Chamber of Commerce, the resident’s associations of Cobham & Downside, Stoke D’Abernon and Oxshott and some other local interest groups. It is important we send a strong, single message to Elmbridge for our community.

Views across the Green Belt behind Polyapes Scout Camp/Blundel Lane

EBC will offer five options in their consultation that includes one that would double our local population in only 15 years by building 16,000 new houses including a disproportionate share of them in Cobham, Oxshott, Downside and Stoke D’Abernon. These would be built over intensively in the built up areas and on our Green Belt, playing fields, allotments and other green spaces. Others options are almost as bad. Their Option 4 proposes no loss of Green Belt and the fewest houses - thus the smallest number of new people with the least impact on our roads, parking, pollution, schools, doctors, the environment, etc., but even this option with massively increased density is very far from straightforward.

We will be issuing further guidance on how you might choose to respond to the questionnaire as this develops over the next few weeks. The path to a local plan will be extremely contentious and we anticipate we may well end up in the law courts like in Guildford. So I cannot stress more strongly the need to get engaged in the forthcoming consultation and register with EBC as indicated at the beginning of this email. We are lucky to have such an experienced team with the legal backing to guide us as we move forward.

Please engage in the consultation and inform your neighbours as it sets the course for our community for the next 15 years.

Hollyhedge Car Park to be refurbished over the Summer (2019)

Car Parking Sign Roadworks Sign The Council car park at Hollyhedge Road in Cobham is undergoing a complete refurbishment, including slightly extending the car park and closing off the access onto Downside Bridge Road to create additional parking capacity. Once complete the car park will provide much improved facilities including Pay on Exit payments and additional electric car charging points.

The refurbishment scheme includes complete resurfacing works which will involve temporary closure to large sections of the car park on a rotational basis. To minimise the level of disruption, approximately 50 parking places will be kept available (currently there are 196) and the work will take place during August and finish early September 2019 when the demand for parking is typically lower.

As a result, car parking in Cobham is likely to be more difficult during this summer, although there will be more car parking spaces from September.

Sadly our President, Gordon Mills, has passed away

Gordon Mills President of the Cobham Conservation & Heritage Trust Disraeli said

“Never take anything for granted” but, of course, we all do. We may live in Cobham or pass through it, but I wonder if we ever pause to appreciate its interesting features or stop to reflect that it takes careful thought, skilful planning, and a great deal of effort to preserve the things that give us pleasure."

These words were written by our President, Gordon Mills in the Foreword to the Short History and Guide to the Cobham Conservation Areas in November 1980. He was, at the time, the Chairman of the Cobham Conservation Group. Sadly Gordon passed away on Monday 11th March 2019 and he will be a great loss to the community.

Gordon was born in Cardiff on the 22 September 1931. He moved to Cobham when he married Olive in 1956. He worked for the Ecclesiastical Insurance Group all his working life, being their longest serving employee when he retired as a Chief Surveyor. The nature of his work gave him a great insight into the architectural features and history of Churches, Cathedrals and Stately Homes.

Gordon Mills on his 1960 Triumph 350 twin motorbike

The demolition of Gamage’s store on Cobham High Street was the catalyst to create Cobham Conservation Group in 1973, with others who were passionate to preserve Cobham. He was Chairman of the Group for many years and was proud of the group’s achievements, with conservation status being awarded to various parts of Cobham and Downside. When the Conservation Group was relaunched in November 2005 as the Cobham Conservation & Heritage Trust, Gordon became it’s President.

Gordon was an active member of the community, being involved with the Labour Party, 1st Cobham Scouts, School PTA’s, and in the restoration of Cobham Mill. He was a JP, and as a magistrate sat mainly in the family court, initially at Walton until it closed, and then at Guildford. He vigorously campaigned for a footpath from Cobham to Downside, and the building of a bridge at Ash Ford which has enabled thousands of people to enjoy the circular walk from Cobham, through Downside and back via Stoke D’Abernon.

Gordon was married for over 60 years to Olive with a son, a daughter and seven grandchildren. To mark their diamond wedding anniversary the family commissioned a bench to be placed on Downside Common for others to enjoy the conservation area he cared about so much.