From the Chairman, Alan GavaghanSpring. 2016.

The Government’s objective to simplify PlanningRegulations has received wide publicity but it does notnecessarily follow that a reduction in the writtenregulations leads to simplicity and a betterunderstanding. Indeed, a combination of grey areas,fewer restrictions on developers and an inability forWaverley Borough Council to produce a credible LocalPlan has led to our pre warned avalanche of planningapplications taking place. The actual detail of thenumbers involved will be given elsewhere by PeterBridgeman in his role as Chairman of our extremelyactive Planning Committee.We continue to work with local politicians but we oftenfeel that once the decision making process movesaway from Farnham, our efforts are often pushed toone side. However, we do have a good workingrelationship with Councillors within Farnham TownCouncil and we are supporting them in their undoubted

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No. MC19

In this issue:

Heritage OpenDays......….…….....4

Planning Report…..6

The story of SouthFarnhamSchool......……….10

Dunsfold and otherairfields.….….…...13

Sir JosephBazalgette andVictorianinfrastructure….....15

A Road TrafficOffence inFarnham…………16

Visits programme for2016…..................18

Recrafting Farnham………….….…..…20

Coffee morning atthe University for theCreative Arts………..…....….….21

Spring 2016 Newsletter

The large Cedar tree in the Library Garden

efforts to improve Farnham and to produce a credible Local Plan and aNeighbourhood Plan.The blight on the East Street/Brightwells area continues and the enquirer askingwhat is happening is still obliged to listen to the Waverley mantra of “Shovelready and we are negotiating with a number of potential investors to get the bestdeal for Farnham ratepayers” . Unfortunately we have been hearing the sameresponse for many years.Current enquiries do not indicate a good deal for the ratepayer. Whilst this maynot reflect the total associated costs, we have received the following informationon the expenditure associated with reaching the current position of producingnothing tangible to the advantage of the Farnham ratepayer. At the DecemberCouncil Meeting in response to a question from one of our members, it wasstated that total spending on the East Street/Brightwells scheme to dateamounted to £5.8 million.Subsequently, further detailed information emerged as follows:Purchasing the old cinema site cost £1.2 million.The old health centre site cost £1.1 million.Legal/Professional costs so far, £500,000.The Compulsory Purchase Order on the Marlborough Head has still not beenenforced but this is likely to be a further cost well in excess of £1 million.In addition, moving and reconstructing the Gostrey Centre is budgeted at £2.33million. The original contract stipulated that the Gostrey Centre would be part ofthe East Street/Brightwells Scheme and yet there is no indication that CrestNicholson is making a financial contribution in recognition of a significant easingof the original contract. They also benefit from the additional retail spaceprovided by expelling the Gostrey Centre from the centre of the town.Finally, Waverley has also taken a £3 million loan from LEPM3 funds which willhave to be repaid at some time in the future. It really is difficult to see when thiswill all end. The old political maxim of “when finding yourself in a hole, stopdigging”, continues to be ignored.

In October we held a meetingwith some twenty five localResidents’ Associations andwere able to present anoverview of planning activitiesin and around Farnham. Apresentation was also madeby Maurice Fitzgerald theDevelopment Director ofBMO Real Estate Partnerswho act as Agents andManagers for Friends’ Lifewho are the owners of theWoolmead site. Hisdescription, visual

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3D model of Woolmead proposal, with new Brightwellsdevelopment seen behind.Courtesy BMO Real Estate Planners

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presentations and prompt answers to resulting questions were well received bythe audience.Roger Steel continues to pursue our investigation into levels of pollution inFarnham and as hard facts are uncovered there is real concern for the effectpollution is having on the health of local people. This subject is more widelycommented on elsewhere in this newsletterHeritage Open Day weekend was another rousing success with more venues,events and visitors, than ever before. Our energetic HODs Committee under theguidance of Sue Farrow continues to provide a series of events which cost thepublic nothing but gives enormous amount of entertainment to the visiting publicand an increase in shopping and retail activity in the town.Gloria Dyche and Diane Bradbury respectively ensure that our evening talks andday visits continue without apparent effort. In fact the amount of organisationgoing into these events is formidable. The reward is that it produces a great dealof enjoyment for all participating members.We have also welcomed John Slater to our Committee and with his previousexperience dealing with local problems he will undoubtedly reinforce our depthof knowledge and ability to respond to the inevitable new challenges of the future.There is insufficient space to thank each member of the Committee for the heavyworkload each carries but without their hard work the Society would be unable todischarge the heavy responsibility of preserving the best of Farnham and toencourage appropriate future improvement. In effect, your Committee continuesto be involved in a whole range of matters which are too numerous to record butsufficient to say we remain active and alert to all matters which affect our lives inFarnham.

Beryl Mackay 1931 – 2012

Beryl was born in Bristol, and spent many of her early years in Bristol andGloucestershire. During WWII she served in the WRNS, and it was during one ofher postings that she met her future husband Ken, then a naval lieutenant. Theymarried in 1953 and moved to Farnham in about 1960, settling in Lower Bourne.She is widely remembered through her membership of and voluntary work formany local organisations, including Ladies’ Circle, Jane Austen’s House and theFriends of the Victoria Gardens. She joined the committee of the latter in 2000,where she continued to serve until her death. She was remembered as a stalwartsupporter of every organisation to which she belonged, and she delivered herlast Meals on Wheels, for Waverley RVS, only three days before she died.Having no children Beryl left bequests to several local organisations, includingThe Farnham Society. We are hoping to use this to support a keynote eventlinked to Farnham.

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Heritage Open Days 2015 and 2016by Erica Wilkinson and Sue FarrowHeritage Open Days in 2015, run as always by the Farnham Society, was anoutstanding success, with good weather and a real party atmosphere. Visitornumbers were better than ever before, and analysis of visitors’ postcodesshowed that people were coming from all over the area to enjoy what Farnhamhas to offer.

HODs 2015 followed the theme of Hops.Farnham’s long association with the hopindustry was explored in an article in theAutumn 2015 issue of the newsletter. Thetheme of the history of hops and brewing inFarnham proved very attractive, and therewere opportunities to sample the 21st centuryproduct which is enjoying a welcome revivalin Farnham and elsewhere. Some of thebuildings opened during the weekendreflected this association, for exampleFarnham Maltings and the Daniel Hall, oncea hop barn. Bill Biddell of Hampton Estatesand Rupert Thompson of the Hogs BackBrewery presented a talk in the Maltings onhops and brewing, attended by about fiftypeople, and Robert Simpson spoke at thepottery about the hop industry past andpresent in Farnham. Our user friendly

brochure featured a photo of The Hop Blossom public house on the front cover.Stedman Blower ran an exhibition in the Maltings, on the theme of 120 years ofArchitectural Practice in Farnham, showing a selection of their projects .34 sites and venues opened to the public, by kind permission of the owners. Thecemetery chapel in West Street was opened for the first time. Recentlyrefurbished, the chapel is now leased and operated as a working studio bysculptor Ian Bishop. This connects with the recent Farnham Society interest inthe re use of old buildings.We are hugely indebted to the private house owners who so readily agree tohave visitors over the HODs weekend. All the tours were fully booked wellbeforehand and the feedback was as positive as ever. Thanks must go toCatriona MacLeod of Tanyard Cottage, Lou James of the Old Vicarage andMichelle Quinlan of the Old Barn. It is such a privilege to be able to see theseimportant Farnham buildings and to benefit from the knowledge of the owners.A walk around the town centre exploring Farnham’s trees was led by PeterBridgeman, and was a good addition to our popular walks programme. This newactivity was well supported, covering Gostrey meadow, St Andrew’s churchyard,West Street and Castle Street, and seeing some 30 different tree varieties.

Hop vine at Farnham Pottery

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The Mad Hatters Morris Dancing Side made a welcome re appearance and wasvery enthusiastically received. In the newly restored Culver Room at The LibraryFarnham Rep provided a rapt and full house audience with a varied and mostentertaining compilation ofreadings and music withhops, brewing anddrinking as the centraltheme.The national HeritageOpen Days activitiescome under the umbrellaof English Heritage. Lastyear (2015) the nationalorganisation changed withthe National Trust andnow the Royal Institute ofBritish Architects (RIBA)becoming more activelyinvolved. A majorpresentation and receptionwas staged at RIBA officesin London which one of our team attended. The whole is now funded by thePeople’s Postcode Lottery and Historic England. We were pleased to see a partyfrom the HODs’ central office, mostly National Trust people, in Farnham on theThursday of HODs! Our visitors viewed a number of our properties and visitedthe successful Castle events during the afternoon, where they met some of theFarnham HODs committee.We are grateful to Farnham Town Council for their continuing support, and to theFarnham Institute Charity for funding new overhead and street level banners,which were displayed in the town centre to publicise the activities. These bannerswill last us for many years. Finally, many thanks to our whole team for makingthe event a great success.For 2016 the HODs team are planning something completely different, focusingon another aspect of Farnham which is increasingly important today. The themewill be “Art and Craft in Farnham”, following the town council’s “Farnham CraftTown” initiative, and highlighting the many and varied arts and crafts activitieswhich go on here. Farnham Art School, founded in the 1870s has grownthrough the decades to become the prestigious University of the Creative Arts.The Farnham Society’s recent coffee morning there is featured elsewhere in thisnewsletter. The Crafts Study Centre, the University Museum of Modern Craft,made its home in Farnham in 2002. The Farnham Pottery in Wrecclesham,founded as a traditional country pottery in 1872, is now an inspirational centre forceramics and other crafts. Farnham Maltings is a regionally important artscentre, with a varied programme of performance, visual art and craft events, the

Farnham Rep at The Culver Room performing amiscellany of verse and prose on Jolly Good Ale and Old

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Report of the Planning Committee by Peter BridgemanThis winter has seen another period of sustained and unprecedented planningapplications or proposals for new housing in Farnham. These are mainly ongreenfield sites (not previously built on) but also on brownfield properties. Thebackground to all this is the failure of Waverley Borough Council to produce anew Local Plan and a five-year housing supply. We have seen two failedattempts dismissed by Government Inspectors and the current third effort doesnot appear to be doing much better. We are however seeing some progress onthe Farnham Town Council’s Neighbourhood Plan and hopefully this will soon beat a stage when it does become a material planning document of which theBorough Council and Inspectors will have to take note. I shall elaborate on theissues as follows.Greenfield Sites Applications 2014/16As at early February 2016 the situation with applications, consents, appeals andproposals on greenfield sites since late 2014 in Farnham is as follows:-Granted consent:Crondall Lane (Hopfield site) 120 dwellingsBaker Oates Stables (allowed on appeal) 43St Georges Road, Badshot Lea 71 234 dwellingsLikely to succeed on application:Little Acres Nursery, Badshot Lea 80Land west of Green Lane, Badshot Lea 120Garden Style Nursery, Wrecclesham 65 265 dwellingsGoing to or likely to go to Appeal:Lower Weybourne Lane, Badshot Lea 14035 Frensham Vale (Inquiry 8 March) 46Waverley Lane Compton Fields (Inquiry July) 157Low Lane (Hearing) 30 373 dwellingsAwaiting Decision:Bindon House, Monkton Lane 56Farnham Hotel, Hale Road 189Lavender Lane, Rowledge 9Pendragon Hall 3 257 dwellings

Total, 1129

New Ashgate Gallery offers high quality art and craft, and so it goes on.Farnham is truly a town of art and craft.One lesson we have learned over previous years is the importance of earlyorganisation, so the team is now at work preparing for the 2016 events. If youwould like to volunteer in any capacity for this year’s HODs then please docontact Gloria Dyche on 01252 702449, or gloria.dyche@hotmail.com.

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Proposed:Land south of Frensham Vale 120Coxbridge Farm 200+Badshot Lea Village 500Upper Old Park Lane 84

904 dwellingsTotal , greenfield sites 2033

Larger Brownfield Sites 2015/16Proposals and Applications (some granted)Woolmead 96 dwellings + commercialWeydon Lane (Dairy Crest site) 21Swain & Jones, East Street 1425 and 27 Hurlands Close 126 The Street, Wrecclesham 9Harts Yard, West Street 132-3 The Borough (above Poundland) 12Bridge House, South Street 1419 Knowle Farm 966 Wrecclesham Hill 12Plus many smaller applications say 50

Total, brownfield sites 262 dwellings Totalling nearly 2300 new homes in Farnham(However the figures change frequently and could be out of date by the time youread this)Plus (not in Farnham)Dunsfold Park (south of Cranleigh) 1800 dwellings + commercial and socialThe use of Dunsfold Park, a major brownfield site, would drastically reduce theneed to develop sites in the rest of the Borough and especially in Farnham. Weconsider 1800 new dwellings is a minimum number which could easily bedoubled or trebled. Maximising Dunsfold to, say, 5000 new homes wouldeliminate the need to use greenfield sites elsewhere in the borough and wouldsolve the 5-year housing supply figure. (More details later in this report).Land South of Ash Lodge Drive, Ash (Guildford BC)Outline consent has been given for a 400 new dwelling development in Ashwhich would have an impact on Farnham.Local PlanThe previous Local Plan dates from 2002 and should have been replaced a fewyears ago. The two previous attempts by Waverley have been rejected by theGovernment’s Planning Inspectors and, with no defined five-year housing supplyfigure, developers are jumping on the band wagon resulting in the numbersabove. We have been promised the next stage of the new plan through 2015 -

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but nothing as yet. Waverley did produce a ‘Spatial Strategy’ setting outnumbers of new dwellings in the Borough with a revised figure of 519 per yearover the plan period to 2031. Those with a suspicious mind might suggestWaverley are deliberately delaying producing a new plan so that they, thePlanning Inspectorate or even the Government, could dump more and morehouses on Farnham.Waverley are not the only Council in trouble over their Local Plan. Hart DistrictCouncil, which adjoins Farnham to the north, is to investigate why its plan wasabandoned just a day before it was due to be finalised. It appears localconsultations and an over 2000 name petition were ignored.Neighbourhood PlanUnlike the borough-wide Local Plan, the Neighbourhood Plan is just concernedwith Farnham and is produced by Farnham Town Council. We were all pleasedwhen the Town Council produced their consultative document and they are nowadvancing to the next stages. At a public meeting in January we were told theonly matter holding up the finalising of the plan is the issue of the availability ofSANG (Suitable Alternative Natural Greenspace). There simply isn’t enoughSANG capacity at Farnham Park. Every effort is being made to provide more.At the end of January the Town Council held further consultations with localresidents groups. Once finalised the plan can go forward to further publicconsultation. Then it will need to be checked by an independent examiner.Hopefully we could see the approved plan by the end of the year.However, even if we have fully approved Local and Neighbourhood Plans, thereis no guarantee these would stop inappropriate developments on greenfieldsites. Two recent cases in Warwick illustrate this point. The Government’sCommunities Secretary, Greg Clark, has allowed two appeals on greenfieldsites totaling 1350 homes. These overturned the rejection of the applications bythe Local Authorities and the Planning Inspectors and was contrary to theemerging Neighbourhood Plan and the approved Local Plan. So much for theso-called ‘Localism’.Changes to the Government’s National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF)In December the Government published a Consultative document setting outsignificant changes to the NPPF. Sceptics would say it’s hardly a consultativedocument, more ‘this is what we are going to do’. However the main changes onwhich we are asked to comment are; starter homes, commuter hubs, newsettlements, small sites under 10 dwellings and delivery.Major ApplicationsTwo of the most significant applications currently being considered are DunsfoldPark, south of Cranleigh, and the Woolmead site here in Farnham.Dunsfold Park: The application, submitted in December, is for 1800 dwellingsplus business units, a primary school, community centre, a large Country Park,restaurants and a public house. Not exactly a self-contained village but if the

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numbers could be increased to 3500 or even 5000 this could be a fullysustainable new community with the full range of facilities. There are thoseopposing any residential use of the brownfield Dunsfold site but to mostfair-minded people this is an obvious solution to meeting the increasing demandfor housing in the borough. Of course we will accept new housing in Farnhambut not at the expense of despoiling our town, its semi-rural fringes and areasof significant landscape quality. The infrastructure of Farnham with its trafficcongestion linked to illegal air pollution, over-subscribed schools, a creakingsewage system all clearly show this ridiculous amount of permitted, planned orproposed new build in Farnham is disproportionate and unsustainable. We alsohear Surrey CC has a £3bn shortfall in funds to improve the infrastructure tomeet the proposed increase in new housing in the county.Those opposing the Dunsfold application are claiming major traffic problems onthe A281, yet the traffic congestion/air pollution is far worse in Farnham.WoolmeadNow here is a site crying out for redevelopment. The 1960’s carbuncle is wellpast its sell-by date, is an eyesore and a perfect brownfield site for qualityresidential and retail use. The current outline application is for 96 dwellingsmainly on the first, second and third floors and retail and business use on theground floor. Each residence will have an allocated underground parking spaceand planned around a central courtyard. We will clearly support this applicationbut do have some observations and comments on design, which hopefully canbe addressed at the detailed application stage. However the additional trafficfrom both residents’ cars and deliveries to the retail units would add furtherpressure to the town centre traffic congestion and air pollution. We feel that ifthe scheme were granted planning permission there should be a conditionensuring a contribution to improve the road system and reduce trafficcongestion.Other MattersHeroncourt: There have been several applications and appeals fordevelopments to the rear of the Grade II listed Heroncourt but all now seems tobe settled except for the access. A single house has been allowed and this isprobably the best outcome, the only remaining issue is to determine the accesseither off Ford Lane or Aveley Lane.Bourne Cricket Pavilion: Due to the generosity of a local benefactor fundshave been made available for a spanking new sports pavilion at BourneRecreation Ground. The Society supported the application for a two-storeybuilding slightly forward of the existing, with changing rooms, showers etc. inthe basement. It will be run by a Community Trust.Swain & Jones site, East Street: Members of the committee attended anexhibit in January showing the intended residential development for 14apartments on part of the site with underground car parking. We await theformal application to see if we will support, comment on or object to the

Story of South Farnham Schoolwith acknowledgements to Sir Andrew Carter and his staff

South Farnham School has its roots deeply planted in the rich soil of Farnhamhistory. It can trace its beginnings to the original Girls’ Grammar School, set upby the visionary rector of Farnham, Thory Gage Gardiner in 1901. The schoolmoved to its current site in 1938 and was officially opened on Monday 17th July1939, just 2 months before the outbreak of the Second World War. HRH TheDuchess of Gloucester attended the ceremony and was welcomed by dignitariesfrom Surrey County Council and the governors of the school that included many

famous Farnham names,including CR Borelli, whosename still features in Farnham.The proceeding was overseenby the headmistress, Miss FWKing who remained in post until1947.In 1971 the Girls’ GrammarSchool amalgamated with theboys’ school at the Morley Roadsite, eventually to becomeFarnham Sixth Form College. In

10The buildings at Menin Way

proposals but our initial views are that it looks pretty impressive. The height ofthe new buildings may cause problems for some neighbours.Care Homes: Work has commenced on the care home to the rear of Bourne

Mill and permission was granted last August to demolish the Brethrens’ MeetingRoom at the far end of West Street and to build another large care home. Weshall be well catered for in our old age! However the former care home atLangham Court, The Ridgway, is about to be demolished and replaced with 12semi-detached dwellings and a block of 6 flats.Personal note: This will be my last Planning Committee report for theNewsletter as, after six years on the Committee and nearly two years asChairman, I am standing down at the AGM in May. It has been a pleasureserving on and chairing the Committee but having reached the age of 75,wanting to spend more family time with four grandchildren and considering theunrelenting battle against the rising tide of new developments in Farnham, it’stime for me to move on. Thanks to all members of the Planning Committee, theExecutive Committee of The Farnham Society and certain local councillors,especially Carole Cockburn and Andy Macleod, for their help andencouragement over the last few years.

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1973, the new South Farnham Middle School was established on the Menin Waysite under the headship of Mr Tony Bravery (formerly Headteacher of the BournePrimary School). Mr Bravery retired in 1988 and was succeeded by AndrewCarter who remains to this day, the sixth Headteacher of the school since 1938.The school became a junior school in 1996, amalgamating with the BourneSchool to become a Primary School in 2011 and later that year, an academy.So what of the school today? It has a total of 800 pupils across the two sites (TheBourne and Menin Way) and has become known nationally as a centre ofexcellence and a designated Teaching School (the highest accolade within theeducation system). The school has an enviable record of working closely with thecommunity to support every aspect ofchildren’s development. Over 400children learn a musical instrument andthere is a strong emphasis on the arts.In addition, sport features prominentlyon the school curriculum which includesteams of pupils playing in competitionwith local schools and sports’ clubs.There are three all-weather sports’pitches, a sports’ hall for gymnasticsand a dance studio for fitness andcreative expression. At The Bourne site,sympathetic alterations have enabled afine Victorian school building to beretained, while meeting therequirements of the twenty first century. Children come from far and wide toexperience what the school has to offer and there is much competition for places.In addition to its role in teaching children, South Farnham has been involved inInitial Teacher Education (ITT) and currently trains over 100 teachers each yearin an alliance of 70+ schools across Surrey and neighbouring counties.South Farnham is a government designated National Support School and is ingreat demand to support schools, both local and further afield, to achieve theirgoals. Its record in supporting schools is highly regarded by the educationalcommunity and demand is high for their expertise. Visits are regularly hosted foroverseas visitors who come to see what can be achieved with primary agedchildren.South Farnham is a member of the South Farnham Educational Trust which, asits name implies, is a local Trust whose aims are to create schools of excellencewhere children can grow and thrive in an atmosphere of care and support withina community that is focused upon the individual child. In 2013, Highfield SouthFarnham School became a member of the Trust and within 18 months becameone of the most improved schools in England. Today Highfield is a thriving,over-subscribed school which, for the first time this year, is proving to be a verypopular school within Farnham.

The original Victorian school building atThe Bourne, with modern additions

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What does being part of a Trust mean for a school? Essentially when a schooljoins a Trust, it is locally governed as opposed to being run by a Local Authority(or, in our case, Surrey County Council). Locally means that the Trustees areappointed locally (generally within the Farnham area) and as such, are betterable to reflect local issues and demand. When two or more schools join together,they are called a Multi Academy Trust (MAT). MATs can grow quite large, indeedsome are cross-county borders and can be as large as 50+. In the case of SouthFarnham Educational Trust, the current number is just two – South FarnhamSchool and Highfield. In the future, it is hoped that more local schools will chooseto join the Trust, to help secure local solutions to local problems. As the towndevelops, the need for places becomes paramount. Farnham is blessed with somany wonderful schools and a local solution to the development of education tomeet local needs is of critical importance to the community.South Farnham Educational Trust sees the development of a local community ofoutstanding schools to be central to its mission. Every family and child deservesthe very best and it is only when all children are able to go to an outstandingschool, that we will be able to hold our heads high as a community. The Trustworks to harness the strong and practical support that is found in Farnham tocreate an educational infrastructure that supports every child whatever theirbackground. It is only when everyone has these opportunities that the communitycan be satisfied with its achievements.But what of the everyday life of the school? Every day the children enjoy a richand varied curriculum experience where they are encouraged to develop theirindividual skills and talents. The school keeps close contact with its ‘alumni’ andis always delighted when old boys and girls return with stories of their lives.Indeed some past pupils still use the school as a ‘touchstone’ for advice andsupport.South Farnham has always had a very supportive Parents’ Association who notonly raise valuable funds for the school but also help in many practical ways:parents come into the school to tell the children of the adult world; they give talkson their interests and the work they do. In this way, the children are nurtured bythe school and the community in partnership. The school hosts many local clubsand organisations including The Farnham Society, the Ramblers, FarnhamChoral Society and the Waverley Singers. There are weekly adult classes inZumba, Pilates and other community activities.The school building in Menin Way is an impressive 1930s structure which hasbeen sympathetically adapted to modern requirements. The infant school in theBourne is originally a 1890s Victorian school which has again been developedwith care to meet the needs of 21st century children.South Farnham School is truly an educational jewel in the crown of Farnham. Anationally (and internationally) recognised ‘centre of excellence’ that is there forthe people of Farnham.

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Dunsfold and other airfields by Simon Bradbury

Dunsfold is one of a number of airfields in the area which were used for militaryoperations in WWII. Some of the airfields – Odiham and Fairoaks, near Chobham-were established between the two world wars while others – Lasham,Blackbushe, Wisley and Dunsfold – were constructed during WWII.

Some of the airfields are in current use for aviation. Only Odiham remains as anoperational RAF airfield, having being home to Chinook helicopters since the1980s. Nearby Lasham supports flying, with a large gliding club and amaintenance facility – originally part of Dan Air. The business has been in somedifficulty recently with the parent company going into administration, but it is likelythat maintenance operations will resume in the near future. Traffic bound forOdiham and Lasham routinely overflies Farnham. Blackbushe dates from 1942,and in 1947 began operating commercial and private aviation, which continuesto this day. During the 1950s it was used by US Navy aircraft. Fairoaks, datingfrom 1931, is an operational commercial airfield, used by smaller aircraft andhelicopters.Dunsfold was constructed by Canadian forces in 1942, the construction processtaking about six months. The airfield was used for military operations duringWWII, and for repatriation of PoWs afterwards. Military use ceased in 1946, andthe airfield was used by a commercial operator, Skyways, who participated in theBerlin airlift in 1948 and 1949, and were also involved in aircraft maintenancework. Following their demise, the airfield was taken on by Hawker AircraftCompany Ltd, who operated the site in conjunction with their works in Kingstonupon Thames and, later, a factory in Brough, Yorkshire, which Hawker acquired

Map data © 2016 Google

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on the takeover of Blackburn Aircraft in the 1960s. Aircraft parts weremanufactured in Kingston (and Brough) and shipped to Dunsfold for assemblyand flight testing. One of the first aircraft handled at Dunsfold was the Hunter jetfighter built in the 1950s. Work on vertical take off aircraft led to the Harrier.Hawker became part of British Aerospace in 1977. The last two aircraft typesbuilt at Dunsfold were the Harrier and the Hawk trainer (used by the Red Arrows).The Kingston and Dunsfold sites both closed in the 1990s, as part of a widerrestructuring and rationalisation. The airfield has been owned by Dunsfold ParkLtd since 2002. It has been used chiefly for motoring related activities notably bythe BBC Television Top Gear motoring programme, and for an annual aircraftand motor show, Wings and Wheels. However, planning decisions in 2011 ruledthat while there was permanent consent for flight testing, any consent forunrestricted flying was temporary, and would expire in 2018.The owners put forward a plan for housing development in 2006, with a view todeveloping an eco-town, however the proposal was rejected. As part of theconsultation exercise on the new local plan, in the autumn of 2014 Waverley putforward some options for housing development. There was a high publicresponse (about 80%) in favour of a large housing allocation at Dunsfold.In spiteof this Waverley favoured locating new housing elsewhere in the borough.Recently the airfield owners have submitted an outline planning application fordevelopment including housing, retail and business premises with supportinginfrastructure . This is discussed further in the Planning Report in this newsletter.Wisley airfield was built in WWII, and its history has similarities with that ofDunsfold, in that it was used for test flying by the aircraft industry. It was takenover after the war by Vickers-Armstrong, who had for some years been operatingat a large site nearby at Weybridge (on the old Brooklands motor racing circuit).The original grass runway was relaid in tarmac, and the airfield was used as anoutpost of Weybridge until the 1970s, when flying ceased. Buildings on the sitewere demolished, though the runway remains. In recent years there have beenplans for development. The Surrey Waste Plan of 2008 includes a proposal for arecycling facility on the site, occupying just under 17 ha. Plans for a compostingfacility were approved in 2010 but the facility has not been built. The airfield islisted in the latest draft of the Guildford Local Plan as a site for a new settlement,with 69 ha of development including up to 2100 homes, education, retail,community facilities and commercial premises to provide employment (office,industry and distribution). Importantly, the site also includes a SANGS allowance,in respect of the Thames Basin Heath SPA.The airfield lies to the south of the A3, close to the RHS gardens and the M25(junction 10), providing links to the transport infrastructure. The planning processnoted that access to the A3 would need to be upgraded to support either the newsettlement of the composting facility. There is also a railway line from Guildfordto London passing to the south of the site, with Effingham Junction station nearby.It is apparent that Guildford Council in taking a positive approach towards thedevelopment of a brownfield site in its area.

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Sir Joseph Bazalgette and Victorian Infrastructure by Simon Bradbury

In current developments, new housing is all too frequently built without thenecessary improvements to infrastructure. Although it might be expected thatlocal authority planning departments would take an overall responsibility for townplanning, the reality is that much development takes place on a piece meal basis,with each new house or group of houses handled in isolation. Under planninglaw, a local authority is not allowed to reject a planning application on the basisthat local infrastructure in inadequate to support the development. It is thuscommon experience that infrastructure lags housing development, and all toooften is only addressed when it is seriously inadequate.Was it always thus?One of the great infrastructure projects of the nineteenth century was the Londonsewers built by Sir Joseph Bazalgette. Then as now, the project was onlyundertaken when the existing infrastructure had become severely inadequate.Until the beginning of the nineteenth century, drainage in London was intendedonly to handle the effects of rainfall. Surface water was drained away into localrivers (such as the Lee and the Fleet), thence into the Thames. Many residentialproperties used earth closets, and foul waste was stored in cess pits, which wereemptied periodically by ‘night soil men’, the contents being used as fertiliser onlocal farms. There were local regulations, dating as far back as the middle ages,prohibiting the disposal of foul waste in the drains.The industrial revolution led to large scale urban growth, in London andelsewhere. This resulted in larger quantities of foul waste, and fewer farms nearto areas of high population density (with consequent difficulty in disposing of foulwaste). The consequence was an increasing tendency to dispose of foul wastein the drains. Ironically the introduction of the Water Closet, with waste beingflushed away, exacerbated the problem. The Thames became heavily polluted,causing a notorious ‘great stink’ particularly during hot weather. By the 1830s thiswas the subject of regular comment in Parliament and in the press. Londonsuffered various outbreaks of cholera, and though the link had been recognisedbetween cholera and poor sanitation, the mechanism by which the diseasespread was not understood until the late nineteenth century. The ’miasma theory’held that the disease was airborne. The work of Dr John Snow, in the 1850s,demonstrated the link with contaminated drinking water, though it was some timebefore his ideas were universally accepted.In the middle of the nineteenth century, there was no government body withoverall responsibility for the London metropolis, the London County Council notbeing formed until 1889. Much of the infrastructure was handled at parish level.The Metropolitan Board of Works was formed by Act of Parliament in the 1850s,to take charge of infrastructure, and Joseph Bazalgette was appointed ChiefEngineer.However, action on a sewage system was only taken when the stench arisingfrom the heavily polluted River Thames became so bad as to prevent Parliament

from sitting in the recently rebuilt Place of Westminster. Funding was approved,and work proceeded. So called Intercepting Sewers were built, running roughlyparallel to the Thames. In some places they were covered over to form theThames Embankments. The sewers carried waste eastwards to be dischargedinto the river downstream of London, at a suitable state of the tide. The projectentailed the use of new technology. The first tunnel under the Thames had onlybeen opened in 18431. Much use was made of the newly introduced PortlandCement. Bazalgette operated a programme of material testing, wherebythroughout the project, samples of cement received from the suppliers weresubject to strength tests. This anticipated present day quality control techniques.Parts of the new sewage system became operational on the 1860s, though workcontinued until around 1875 – several decades after the problem of river pollutionhad come to the attention of the public. In the nineteenth century, as today,infrastructure lagged behind housing development.

1. The tunnel is between Rotherhithe and Wapping, built by Marc Bruneland his son Isambard Kingdom Brunel. It is still in use today as part ofLondon’s railway network.

For further information about Joseph Bazalgette, seeThe Great Stink Of London by Stephen Halliday, published by The History Press,

A Road Traffic Offence in Farnham with acknowledgements to Sir Ray Tindle,and Wendy Craig

On 22 October last year, ourpresident, Sir Ray Tindle, wasstopped by the police while driving inCastle Street, and handed asummons. We are happy to confirmthat Sir Ray was not in breach of thelaw – instead he was re-enacting asignificant event in motoring history.John Henry Knight was the firstperson in England to build a petrolengine car, at his works in Farnham.On 17 October 1895, it is believedthat he became the first person tocommit a driving offence in a motorcar. Knight’s car was being driven inCastle Street by his friend andassociate James Pullinger, when hewas stopped by a member of thelocal police, to receive two

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summonses – one for not having the appropriate licence, another for not havinga man on foot in front of the vehicle.Road traffic law at the time comprised several ‘Locomotive Acts’, dating from the1860s onwards. The Red Flag Act of 1865 required a man to walk in front of thevehicle, and restricted the top speed to 4 mph in the countryside, reduced to 2mph in towns. This legislation was passed in the days of steam poweredvehicles., and was intended to govern the use of heavy ‘locomotives’, such as

traction engines. These vehiclescould weigh 10 tons or more, andwould cause substantial damagewhen driven on roads designed forhorse drawn vehicles. Knight’svehicle was a tricycle, weighingaround 5 cwt (250 kg), and as heexplained, it was powered not bysteam, but by a series ofexplosions. He consideredcontesting the charges broughtagainst him in the basis that hisvehicle was not a’ locomotive’,

however a judgement in the 1880s had ruled that vehicles such as his weredeemed ‘locomotives’ and therefore Knight was bound by the Locomotive Acts.Knight and Pullinger appeared before Farnham magistrates a few days later,where they were each fined 2s 6d, with 10s costs.Knight carried out further trials on his car, mainly on farm roads near to his houseat Barfield. He took the precaution of posting a lookout before venturing onto apublic road. From his three wheeled experimental car he went on to produce afour wheeled version,displayed at the NationalMotor Museum.The law was changedshortly afterwards. TheLocomotives on HighwaysAct of 1896 defined a newclass of vehicle, the ‘lightlocomotive’, with a weightbelow 3 tons. The speedlimit for these vehicles wasraised to 14 mph (Knight’svehicle was capable ofaround 10 mph), and the requirement for a man to walk in front was removed. Itis certain that Knight’s case acted as a stimulus to reform of the law.

Photographs of Sir Ray in Castle Street courtesy of Farnham Herald

Visits programme for 2016

Following on from a short survey carried out among some members last year, weare focusing on the three places that received the most votes. Please comealong and support us.

This year there will be two whole day visits and one three day visit.We begin on Thursday 9thJune with a visit to Bowood House in Wiltshire, familyhome to the Marquis and Marchioness of Lansdowne. It was built during theeighteenth century to the designs of Henry Keene and Robert Adam with a

chapel and terraced gardens added in the nineteenth century. The house is setwithin one of Capability Brown’s most beautiful parks. The day will include aguided tour of the private walled gardens and time to visit the house.Some of you may have seen Bowood House recently featured on AntiquesRoadshow.

Our second visit will be a three daytour of Birmingham focusing inparticular on the role thatBirmingham played in our IndustrialHeritage. We will leave Farnham onWednesday 13th July and spend twonights in a city centre hotel returningto Farnham on Friday 15th July.This tour will include a visit to SohoHouse, home to Matthew Boulton,one of England’s pioneerindustrialists. There will be a tour ofBirmingham, with a Blue Badge

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Brindley Place, Birmingham

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Guide, looking at both modern and Victorian Birmingham, featuring a visit to theJewellery Quarter Museum and finishing with a canal boat trip.Before returning home wewill visit the Black CountryLiving Museum whosecollections represent thesingle largest record ofmaterial in Britain whichexemplifies the particularcontribution of the BlackCountry to the IndustrialRevolution. Wander downthe Victorian streets andmaybe sample some Fishand Chips as they used tobe made!

Our third and final visit will be on Thursday 15th September to Dover Castle, afrontline fortress and its wartime tunnels. Dover Castle’s location, commandingthe shortest sea crossing between England and the Continent, has given itimmense strategic importance. Tunnels first excavated in the chalk over twohundred years ago were brought back into use from 1939 when they housed thecommand centre that controlled naval operations in the channel and it was from

here in May 1940 that the Dunkirk evacuation was planned and coordinated. It ispossible to visit exhibitions in these tunnels.

Booking forms for all visits are enclosed with this newsletter.

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Recrafting Farnham

Saturday 30 January saw the Recrafting Farnham workshop at FarnhamMaltings. Organised by Laith Anayi, an architect at Stedman Blower andchairman of RIBA South East, the event brought together local architects and thepeople of Farnham to explore visions for the future of Farnham. Initial estimatessuggest as many as 700 people may have attended.A former vision for Farnham, dating from shortly after WWII, proposed a bypassfollowing roughly the route of the current bypass, but with better access, via twointersections at Weydon Lane and Hatch Mill. This can be seen as a missedopportunity to avoid the traffic congestion now familiar in Station Approach.Some ideas now put forward on traffic flow included an east-west link throughFarnham Park and a western bypass. A link road from Castle Street to The Hartand West Street, through the existing upper Hart car park, was suggested inconjunction with pedestrianisation of Castle Street. A more ambitious schemeentailed routing traffic through a tunnel beneath Farnham town centre.There were thoughts on development of the central car park. A scheme with anunderground car park allowed retail development at ground level.A scheme for Dogflud Way showed a single development covering the area nowoccupied by Lidl, the Phyllis Tuckwell shop and the furniture store in East Street.The issue of public space was addressed. One scheme involved an arena inFarnham Park just below the Castle. Another looked at use of Brightwells areaas public space for recreation or open air performances. This was in markedcontrast to the many profit driven developments seen today, which all too oftentake away existing public space to use for commercial or residentialdevelopment, the financial benefit to developers outweighing benefit to locals.The many ideas put forward are being studied and evaluated. A follow upmeeting is planned for Monday 18 April.The project can be followed on Twitter @RecraftingF

Forthcoming EventsMembers’ Coffee MorningsOur next coffee morning will be on Saturday 18 June. Clive and Sarah Websterhave kindly agreed to host a coffee morning at their Jacobean house, ShoelandsSeale. GU10 1HL. In the house, there is a mural by Charles Bone. The house ison the Seale to Puttenham road, approximately 1 mile from Seale Church.There will be a further coffee morning in the autumn, details to be announcedlater on our website.

£3.00 - pay on day enquiries 01252 702449

Public lectureWe are hoping to hold a Public Lecture later this year to look at the future ofFarnham, particularly in the light of the massive proposals for developmentdiscussed in our Planning Report. Watch our website for details.www.farnhamsociety.org.uk

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A COFFEE MORNING at the UNIVERSITY FOR THE CREATIVE ARTS byMike Clements

In November members of The Farnham Society were kindly invited to visit theUCA Farnham and find out about the University’s Architecture & Interior Designcourse and to meet the leaders and learn from them how it is run and what itsaims are. Being a Saturday, the studios were unoccupied, but we were able tosee examples of the students’ project work on display. The BA(Hons)Architecture and Interior Design three year course explores all aspects of thespaces in which people live, work and play. It involves the theory and techniquesinvolved in designing interior spaces, especially in relation to the restructuring orremodelling of buildings, and the skills and knowledge of materials needed tocreate environments, with experimentation in form, scale, light and colour, andalso computer and building technology studies. Sustainable and ecologicalbuilding design is explored. From the start of the course the evolution of interests,connections and career goals are strongly encouraged, with links to industry andwork placements in the final year. Graduates may go on to post-graduate studyin design management, sustainable design or film set design. The majority ofgraduates achieve full time employment while others go on to post-graduatestudies.The course aims to develop abilities in interior design, the ability to challengedesign conventions, understand materials and technology, and acquireknowledge of design practice and contract management.Graduates go on to interior architecture, and practices such as interior design,residential design, museum and exhibition design, retail design, hospitalitydesign, furniture design, set and lighting design, and design management.Students expect structured teaching, with independent study. They areresponsible for management of their own learning, with increasing self-directedstudy and project work as they develop their knowledge and understanding.The course includes organised study visits, seminars with visiting lecturers,individual tutorials and external examiners. We saw many examples of students’projects and were given a summary of the aims of the BA Hons course by courseleaders Peter Waters and Sam McElhinney, both practising interior designers.Waters was the winner of the 2011 Waverley Design Award for his exhibition 900years of Living History at Farnham Castle. In year 1 technical and conceptualskills are developed, as well as an awareness of historical and contemporarycultural and economic factors. The process of design is studied, with itsexperimental and spatial design concepts. Building technology and drawing skillsare developed. In year 2 students find their own way of working independently,with opportunities such as working in industry, with work placement or studyabroad. There is a focus on the conflicts in creative and functional requirements.Visual communication techniques are developed as well as model making andskills in animated computer programs. In year 3 a final major project is broughtto a professional standard. Professional practice involves responsibilities of the

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designer as a member of the building team. A dissertation shows understandingof the subject and management and analysis of an individual project.Afterwards, an enjoyable coffee was taken communally in the students’ cafeteria.

Student’s Interior design by Isida Dena

WEBSITE AND NEWSLETTER UPDATE

We are changing the way in which we communicate with our members.

Our website now includes a password controlled Members’ Area. The pass-word will be changed from time to time, with the latest password emailed out toall paid up members, so please make sure we have your up to date emailaddress. The Members’ Area holds information on events for members, ,and ourpast accounts. It provides an area for members to put forward their ideas onFarnham, which will hopefully stimulate discussion. Reports for discussion at theAGM will be posted on the website a few weeks before the meeting.

With this enhancement to the website, we propose to issue our newsletter onceper year, instead of twice. We will continue to produce a newsletter eachspring, giving full details of our programme for the year, booking forms for ourtours and membership renewal information. Ongoing events will be reported, asthey happen, on our website. This will bring about a significant saving in ouroperating costs.

For our website, visit www.farnhamsociety.org.uk

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MEMBERSHIP OF THE FARNHAM SOCIETY

Being a member of The Farnham Society enables you to have your say in thefuture of Farnham and helps us to protect your town. It also entitles you to enjoythe opportunity to attend evening lectures at reduced cost and join othermembers on interesting visits and coffee mornings throughout the year.

Please help us by paying by standing order.

GIFT AIDIIf you are a UK taxpayer then by signing up to Gift Aid you can help us toreclaim some tax. For example, on a subscription of £10, we can claim £2.50from HMRC - but only f the member has signed a Gift Aid form. If every memberwere to sign up to Gift Aid we would be able to claim somewhat more than£1000 each year.

Donations and legacies are welcomed to support the on-going work ofThe Farnham Society.

Forms can be obtained from the website: www.farnhamsociety.org.uk orplease contact our Membership Secretary: David Berry, 16 Monks Well,FarnhamGU10 1RH Tel. 01252 781801 dc.berry@tiscali.co.uk

ANNUAL SUBSCRIPTION RATESIndividual member: £12 Couple members: £20Senior member: (over 65 yrs): £10 Senior couple: (one over 65 yrs): £18

Life member: £125 Couple - life members: £200

REMEMBERSubscriptions are due on 1 April. The newsletter and programme card are notan indication that we have received your subscription.

The next Farnham Society Newsletter will be published in February 2017

Ms P CooperMr & Mrs D & N HoltMr & Mrs A & J JewellMr A Lee

Mr & Mrs S & S PattersonMs C PowellMr M Rattray

The Society welcomes the following new members

24 Editor: Simon Bradbury, graphics: Mike Clements 8.02.16 Printed by Riverprint Ltd, 9 Riverside Park, Farnham, Surrey

2016 PROGRAMME

Friday 11 March 2016My Time Insideby John Sandy ex Director andGovernor of HM Prisons.Tuesday 24 May 2016The Devils Punchbowl, PastPresent and Futureby Matt CusackHead Ranger SW Surrey Hills

RESIDENTS’ ASSOCIATIONSMEETINGTuesday 18 October 20167:30 for 8:00At South Farnham School

VISITS PROGRAMME FOR 2016There will be two single day visitsplus a three day tour toBirmingham. See announcementson pages 18 & 19

MEMBERS' COFFEE MORNINGSaturday 18 June 201610:30Shoelands House Seale GU10 1HLSee page 20 for details

Are you receiving our emails?We send out regular emails to our members, with details of forthcomingevents. If you have not been receiving our emails, it is almost certainlybecause we do not have your current email address. You can keep us upto date via our website, www.farnhamsociety.org.uk. Go to ‘Contact Us’then ‘Membership Enquiries’, where you can enter your current emailaddress. Under ‘Subject’ put ‘current email’, and don’t forget to pressSEND. Then we will be able to keep in touch with you if you havechanged your email address.

Tuesday 11 October 2016UK Education - a Personal Viewby Sir Andrew Carter OBEExecutive Head Teacher, SouthFarnham SchoolFriday 18 November 2016The Life and Art of Maria CallasBy Michael HartnallFriday 20 January 2017Trees in Farnhamby Peter BridgemanRetired Arboriculturist

EVENING TALKSat South Farnham School, Menin Way, Farnham GU9 8DY

8:00 pm Welcoming drink from 7.30 pm.Ample car parking available

Members £3, Non-members £6, Students £1.50.

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETINGTuesday 3 May 20167:30 for 8:00At South Farnham School

Any enquiries 01252 702449