Tandridge Buzz

By Sam Gyimah

As some of you may have heard, we have successfully managed to fight the parking charges that Surrey County Council were planning to force on Tandridge.

Unfortunately it looks like Horley will still be included in the proposals.

I was especially glad that Surrey County Council recognised Tandridge’s unique character as an area — small towns dotted among rolling countryside — and are now willing to root the process firmly in local opinion.

Tandridge is a different case to the rest of Surrey because it benefits from a great deal of free parking already, and indeed this has been an active strategy by Tandridge District Council to support our town centres.

But the parking charges were a real threat to businesses: 88% of local businesses who responded to a survey by the local Chamber of Commerce said that parking charges would be a threat to the future of their own business, with over a third of businesses considering relocating out of Oxted if the proposals went ahead.

It was crucial that we managed to find another way.

The team effort that occurred to achieve this change in policy was enormous — from my initial discussions with the local Chambers of Commerce about their Business Impact Assessment and with Gordon Keymer at Tandridge District Council, to crucial interventions by Councillors Nick Skellett and David Hodge — the local input was fantastic and really helped to make a strong case for supporting our local businesses and changing the policy as it then stood.

Thank you to all who were involved; it was a great effort all round and one which has meant the right result was achieved at the end.

Campaigners against the controversial pay and display scheme proposed in Oxted, Caterham, Whyteleafe and Warlingham will get to put their case before Surrey County Council on 10 May.

A petition against the scheme, organised by Miss Caroline Salmon, has gathered support from 26,284 people — whoch means she will have five minutes to put her case to the council cabinet. It will then be debated for a maximum of 30 minutes.

Tandridge Councillors have already voted against controversial plans that would see shoppers charged up to £1 for an hour. Surrey County Council hopes the plan could raise around £1m a year and the charges could hit Tandridge by March next year.

East Surrey MP Sam Gyimah has also spoken out against the proposals labelling them a “serious threat to local business”.

The petition says the the council has a “responsibility to ensure a sustainable local economy”.
It adds: “These proposals will seriously effect passing trade. They will inconvenience local people seeking a visit to the cashpoint, collecting a parcel or prescription or making a quick visit to a shop for a simple purchase, and they will increase car parking congestion on residential roads close to town and village centres.

“The cost of installing meters and enforcement would be a major charge on any funds raised by the scheme. We demand that the council abandon its proposals for these new on-street parking charges.”

Almost 2,000 residents have signed a petition against the controversial pay and display parking proposals Surrey County Council wants to introduce in Oxted, Caterham, Whyteleafe and Warlingham.

Tandridge Councillors have already voted against controversial plans that would see shoppers charged up to £1 for an hour. Surrey County Council hopes the plan could raise around £1m a year and the charges could hit Tandridge by March next year.

East Surrey MP Sam Gyimah has also spoken out against the proposals labelling them a “serious threat to local business”.

The petition, submitted by Caroline Salmon, says the the council has a “responsibility to ensure a sustainable local economy”.

It adds: “These proposals will seriously effect passing trade. They will inconvenience local people seeking a visit to the cashpoint, collecting a parcel or prescription or making a quick visit to a shop for a simple purchase, and they will increase car parking congestion on residential roads close to town and village centres.

“The cost of installing meters and enforcement would be a major charge on any funds raised by the scheme. We demand that the council abandon its proposals for these new on-street parking charges.”

• Click here to sign the petition