Work has begun this week to create a brand new public space at the western end of Station Road in Redhill, outside the new Nobel House development.

New seating, improved lighting, attractive planting and better cycle storage will make the area much more inviting for those living, shopping and working in Redhill. Five new trees will replace the existing trees, which have a limited life expectancy in their current location. The area will also be repaved.

Reigate & Banstead Borough Council is working with Hollybrook Residential Developments Ltd – the developer of Nobel House on Queensway – and Surrey County Council to deliver this scheme, which is being funded by Hollybrook as one of their community obligations as part of the redevelopment of Nobel House.  Other obligations have included an upgraded pedestrian crossing from Warwick Road and payments to local health and education providers to reflect the additional demand on those services arising from the new flats.

Cllr Natalie Bramhall, loca councillor and Chairman of the Redhill Regeneration Forum, said:

“We want Redhill to become a thriving town centre which is a prominent commercial location, a competitive retail destination and great place to live.

“This area of Station Road is looking very dated and over time has become a bit tired. These improvements will dramatically improve this important gateway to Redhill and the perception it gives of the town centre. The scheme will provide a striking modern space for local residents, shoppers and business people to sit and relax, or just pass through.”

Andy Nash, Manager of the Belfry Centre and Vice Chairman of the Redhill Regeneration Forum, said:

“The new public space will give a real lift to the western end of Station Road and make a big difference to retailers in this area.

“The Belfry and other local retailers have been closely involved in developing the design for the scheme. We are delighted that the new public space will be a high quality scheme that will raise the bar for future projects in Redhill town centre.”

The improvements are being funded by infrastructure contributions from the development of Nobel House, which has already provided 126 homes right in the town centre and around 12,000 square feet of retail space, expected to open later this year.

The construction of the new public space on Station Road will be completed by April.

Over the past 18 months, since our original article on the subject, much work has been going into identifying a site for the school and checking on its feasibility.  As outlined in the following article from the Surrey Mirror, it seems that the Council is on the verge of securing a site at Battlebridge.

Find the Surrey Mirror article at the following link:  http://www.thisissurreytoday.co.uk/Merstham-primary-school-open-2014/story-14985742-detail/story.html

Firefighters are appealing for old cars to help them practice rescuing people from crashes.

Surrey Fire and Rescue Service needs scrap vehicles to practice how to deal with collisions on the road.

The service needs cars and is willing to arrange free collection from anywhere in Surrey or on its borders. Anyone with a scrap car they would like to donate should call Surrey Fire and Rescue Service Headquarters on 01737 242444.

Surrey Fire and Rescue Service does not offer payment for vehicles. Any adverts in newspapers or calls made from companies offering to pay for scrap vehicles on behalf of Surrey Fire and Rescue Service are not related to the service.

Reigate & Banstead Borough Council is proud to confirm that on Friday 20 July 2012, the Olympic Flame will be coming to the borough of Reigate and Banstead. Torchbearers will carry the Olympic Torch through the towns of Redhill and Reigate who will host a welcome on behalf of their surrounding communities.

Councillor Natalie Bramhall, one of the local ward Councillors for Redhill West, said:

“It is great news that the Olympic Torch will pass through Redhill and Reigate on its way to the Olympic Stadium. It is a fantastic opportunity to be able to welcome such a prestigious event to our town.

“The Olympic Torch Relay is a once in a lifetime opportunity for residents to be able to witness, and be part, of these events on their own doorstep.

“The events will also provide a boost to the local economy. The Council will continue to work closely with LOCOG, Surrey County Council and our other partners to ensure that this event is a huge success and that any potential disruption is minimised.”

Full details of the exact relay route will be announced closer to the time and the Council will be inviting people from across the area to come and welcome the Olympic Flame as it passes through the borough.

In the build up to the start of the Olympics, the Olympic Flame will make its journey from Greece and arrive in the UK on 18 May 2012, ready for the Olympic Torch Relay to begin the following day.  Representing peace, unity and friendship, the Flame will start its 70-day journey at Land’s End and travel around the UK to the Olympic Stadium, carried by 8,000 inspirational Torchbearers.

The Olympic Flame will arrive at the Olympic Stadium on 27 July 2012 for the lighting of the cauldron which will signify the start of the Games.

View an interactive map of the communities on the torch relay route at http://www.london2012.com/olympic-torch-relay-map

Surrey County Council has a new fleet of gritters equipped with the latest technology ready to keep motorists moving in severe winter weather.

The 24 new vehicles, provided by the new highways contractor, are ready to hit the road as part of the council’s pool of 40-plus gritters loaded with some of the 17,000 tonnes of salt stockpiled at depots across Surrey.

Each is equipped with a device to monitor gritting throughout Surrey on a minute-by-minute basis.

In addition, the trucks are fitted with technology that involves using a brine solution on the salt to help it work quicker on roads.

An extra 110 miles of road will be regularly treated this winter. This equals nearly 5,300 extra miles of gritting runs across an average winter.

Surrey County Council’s Cabinet Member for Transport and Environment Ian Lake said:

“We’ve been planning for months to help keep Surrey’s road network moving in ice and snow. Our salt barns are full, we have new gritters equipped with the latest technology and they’re ready to hit the roads in bad weather.

“Our gritting teams do great work to keep Surrey moving in bad weather and they often work through the night. However, our gritters can’t cover every road, which is why it’s important residents use grit bins to treat their
local roads and pavements for the benefit of the community.”

The gritting operation is part of a range of measures to tackle severe weather this winter. Surrey’s 17,000-tonne stockpile of salt is 4,000 more than last year.

Fifteen more farmers with ploughs have also joined the snow-clearing operation to take the total to 50.

And, as noted in our recent update from the Local Committee the amount of grit available for borough and district councils to spread in town centres has been doubled to 40 tonnes each, and a number of local roads have been added to the gritting list or given increased priority on the list, for example Carlton Road.

The council has also launched a twitter feed in partnership with BBC Surrey to provide residents with updates on gritting activity, roadworks, road closures and traffic information. It can be found @surreytravel.

David Hodge was today (Tuesday 11 October) elected the new Leader of Surrey County Council and immediately announced a change to the authority’s parking charge policy.

Speaking to a meeting of the Full Council following his election, Mr Hodge said the council’s countywide policy for on-street parking would “end today”. Instead, local committees* will now be given freedom to decide on the policy.

The county councillor for Warlingham told the meeting:

“The county council’s on-street parking policy has proved enormously unpopular. I believe we should be strong enough to recognise when we have got something wrong.

“That is why I can announce that the single countywide policy for on-street parking ends today.

“Local committees, working with boroughs and districts, are far better placed to make these decisions.

“From today local committees will have the freedom to decide without interference from us.”

Mr Hodge said his style of leadership would be based on a “one team” approach, where “everyone’s views” were taken into consideration and “those best placed to decide” would be given the power to make decisions.

“Our county council needs a new approach,”

he said.

“One that recognises that the best decisions are made when everyone’s views are considered carefully. One that recognises that we will be more effective if we work together. And one that recognises that those best placed to decide should be given the freedom to do so.”

Mr Hodge also announced there will be two new members of the Cabinet, Helyn Clack and Tony Samuels. They replace the former leader Dr Andrew Povey and the former Cabinet Member for Environment Dr Lynne Hack.

Notes:

Pictures of David Hodge, a transcript of his speech to Full Council and a video of the new leader are all available.

* Surrey has 11 local committees representing the county’s borough and district areas. They were set up in 2002 to bring the council’s decision-making closer to the people it serves. Half the membership of the committees is made up of county councillors and half is made up of borough and district councillors.

After pressure from local residents and Councillors, Carlton Road will be upgraded to a Priority 1 route during future cold weather spells, befitting its status as a bus route.

Other recent highways updates from Surrey County Council are listed below.

Road surface treatment

• Woodcrest Walk – due October 2011
• Upper Bridge Road – due October 2011
• Woodlands Road – due October 2011
• Elm Road – due April 2012

Road safety measures

• Pedestrian crossing on Queensway – due to be improved, funded by the adjacent Nobel House development
• Gatton Park Road – new pedestrian crossing at the end of Monson Road

Cold weather measures

• The following changes have been made to the roads on the gritting schedule (click here for the full schedule):

1. Brambletye Park Road – added to the Priority 3 list
2. Carlton Road – upgraded from Priority 2 to Priority 1
3. College Crescent – added to the Priority 3 list
4. Noke Drive – added to the Priority 3 list

• Grit bins will be refilled by the end of October, and again during the winter if required (although note that it is not feasible to restock them during a period of extreme weather).
• Statement of Understanding under which the County Council will provide the Borough Council with 40 tonnes of grit and hand spreading equipment, which will be used by Borough Council staff for gritting footpaths (eg by street sweeping staff who are unable to undertake their usual tasks).  Note that these staff have been used already in the past to grit footpaths, using a stock of grit kept by the Borough Council – the new arrangement means that a larger stock of grit will be guaranteed.
• The Council has signed up more local farmers to undertake snow clearance on some minor roads.
• What local residents can do in extreme weather:

1. Report any thefts of grit from grit bins to the non-emergency Police line (dial 101).  Grit in grit bins is for use only on the public highway, and grit taken from bins and used on private driveways reduces the amount available for public roads, and represents theft.
2. Undertake snow clearance outside their property (using a shovel but not hot water).  In response to fears of being subject to legal action, Surrey County Council has provided this reassurance:

“As with all actions taken by members of the public, people should act sensibly and consider the effect their actions might have on other highway users.  Provided any salting or snow clearance is carried out responsibly and without creating further hazards which could lead to a passer by injuring themselves, there there would not liability for such actions.”

Surrey County Council has asked for comments on plans to recycle more building waste in the county.

Solar panels are to be installed on Surrey County Council buildings in a move that is set to save taxpayers £2 million.

The County Council’s move follows a similar decision by the Borough Council to invest in solar energy at the new Horley Leisure Centre and on the Earlswood depot facility - http://www.redhillcouncillors.co.uk/2010/11/council-proposes-big-investment-in-solar-energy/.

Reigate & Banstead Borough Council and Guildford Borough Council have joined forces to get the best financial deal for the paper and card collected from local people for recycling.  The two Councils are the biggest in Surrey, with over 250,000 residents between them.

The deal, which started in July with UPM, means that the extra cash can be used to reduce the cost of waste and recycling services for both councils. The two year agreement is expected to generate additional income of £1.5 to £2millon for the two Councils over the course of the contract.

Cllr Allen Kay, Executive Member for Clean Communities said:

“We are really pleased to be working with Guildford to make these savings. We are always seeking to do better for less and despite the financial pressures, will continue to maintain our services to a high standard.  Residents can help us to reduce costs by supporting our paper recycling, either through our kerbside collection service or using the recycling bring sites.”

Cllr Julian Ellacott, Redhill Councillor, said:

“Paper and card are valuable materials, and by offering the material jointly with Guildford we have improved our negotiating strength, achieving a higher price.  This means that we can offset some of the other financial pressures facing us over the next few years, and is also a solid platform for the extended recycling service which will be introduced next year.”

Cllr Nick Sutcliffe, Lead Councillor for Environmental Services at Guildford Borough Council, adds:

“By working together we have secured a competitive price for paper that will lead to a saving of £1 million for Guildford Borough Council over the two year contract.  We, like many others, face a challenging financial future and we are committed to finding ways to improve services and reduce the costs to taxpayers.”

The deal is one example of the joint working that is being developed by the Surrey Waste Partnership (SWP). The SWP consists of all the county, district and borough councils, and aims to manage Surrey’s waste in the most efficient, economic and sustainable way possible.

Notes

The paper collected is sold to a company, UPM, who then recycle it and produce clean, reusable paper which is used to produce newspapers and other products.

The Surrey waste Partnership is a partnership of the 12 councils in the county. Together they are committed to saving money and improving waste services for people in Surrey.

All the Surrey Waste Partnership authorities have adopted their joint ‘Plan for Waste Management’, committing them to work towards a world class service with an ambitious target of 70% recycling by 2013/2014.

Partnership projects include work on composting, junk mail, mixed plastics and ‘bring’ recycling sites. Initial savings and benefits are starting to materialise, for example an anticipated £200,000 annual saving in garden waste processes for the SWP partners.

For more information visit www.surreywastepartnership.org.uk.