Crime falls in Runnymede – again

Following on from the successful crime reduction figures published in March, I am proud to say that Runnymede has seen the greatest fall in crime rates for three years with 700 fewer people falling victim to crime than in 2004.

The greatest falls in crime in the local areas were recorded in relation to:

► Vehicle theft, theft from a vehicle and damage to a vehicle
► Domestic burglary
► Bicycle theft
► Criminal damage
► Wounding
► Personal robbery

This is a significant victory for the Safer Runnymede Partnership comprised of the Borough Council, Surrey Police, Surrey County Council, Surrey Fire and Rescue Service, Surrey Police, Surrey Police Authority, Runnymede Association of Voluntary Services, and the Surrey Primary Care Trust.

Police Inspector Roger Nield, Chairman of the Safer Runnymede Partnership said:

“Local people play an important part in helping the Partnership to achieve such encouraging figures in reducing crime and disorder in Runnymede. They take part in Neighbourhood Watch Schemes and use online reporting at www.saferrunnymede.co.uk and these help us respond with such effective results.

“Safer Runnymede uses the most extensive CCTV network in Surrey to help prevent crime. This level of coverage has been championed by The Partnership, located in the flagship Runnymede Civic Centre, along with Runnymede Borough Council, Surrey Police, and Surrey County Council.

“People will be soon able to use our new initiative, SMS texting, to report crimes or anti social behaviour as they go about the borough.

“Even though the reduction achieved by the Partnership is significant, we are not complacent: every crime and every victim is one too many. and we’ll continue to listen, learn and act to continue to keep Runnymede safe”.

Congratulations to our excellent crime reduction team here in Runnymede led by David Dodd for the excellent progress they are making in making our our communities even safer.

The sale of the Electoral Register

Given all the media coverage today regarding Council’s sales of the Electoral Register the Electoral Services Manager has e-mailed councillors providing some clarification as to Runnymede’s position on the issue.

Each year, Runnymede Borough Council expects to make £3000 from the sale of the register.

The bulk of Runnymede’s income comes from the major credit companies who are entitled to purchase the Full Register of Electors for reasons stipulated in the legislation e.g. fraud prevention, money laundering, credit checking etc. The sales to others for “any use” of the Edited Register, the register where residents can actually opt out and not appear, is negligible (last year £503) out of a total income of £2910 (17.2%).

Milton Park Farm Public Meeting

I thought Runnymede residents may be interested in hearing some background information about a public exhibition Hanson Aggregates will be staging at the Literary Institute (51 High Street, Egham) on Thursday, July 17 from 2pm to 8:30pm regarding plans for sand and gravel extraction on land at Milton Park, Egham.

In July 2003, the County Council published a paper updating its Minerals Plan which first devised in January 1993 and placed the Milton Park as a Category 1 site meaning “that there was a presumption in favour of proposals for mineral working on the site”.

Following a Strategic Environmental Assessment of 107 Potential Mineral Working Zones (PMZ’s) for sand and gravel extraction across Surrey the following sites within Runnymede were identified by the County Council as “preferred sites” for mineral extraction in respect of obtaining concreting aggregate:

► Addlestone Quarry Extension, Addlestone
► Hamm Court Farm, Chertsey
► Milton Park Farm, Egham
► Whitehall Farm, Egham
► Land North of Thorpe, Thorpe

With regards to the Milton Park Farm site the Planning Committee resolved the following comments in June 2006:

“Milton Park Farm, Egham is a large site of some 64 ha.  The site was not put forward for release in the 1985 Minerals Plan due to highway concerns. Since that time traffic had increased considerably and the inability of the highway infrastructure to cope with additional heavy vehicle traffic might mean that release of this and the adjoining site at Whitehall Farm would be contrary to policy MD4.

“Traffic associated with any gravel extraction at the site would impact on residential properties and take traffic to the centre of Chertsey and again it was suggested that an area-wide traffic study needed to take into account the capacity of all the roads leading to the strategic highway network and the impact of traffic on residential amenity. Whilst there would be capacity for bunding and screening to reduce the impact on residential property, it should be clearly demonstrated how this could be satisfactorily achieved.

“The area was within a major aquifer and groundwater protection zone for public water supply at Chertsey. A hydrological assessment would be required to support any mineral workings and identify any potential for pollution. There was particular concern that if de-watering had to take place on a 24-hour basis, this would be an unacceptable source of noise pollution. A hydrological survey and detailed scheme of progressive restoration were required before any planning application could be granted.

“Furthermore this area was one of the few large areas of unspoilt landscape in north-west Surrey, and although it had potentially been available for mineral extraction since the 1993 Minerals Plan, there were a range of factors needed to be given detailed consideration based on up-to-date data. This would include impact on new residential development in the area including Nightingale Shott and Bosher Gardens and impact on Schools and Great Fosters Hotel, a Grade I listed building.

“The Whitehall Farm site adjoined the Milton Park Farm site and it had many of the same characteristics as Milton Park Farm, and therefore the previous comments would apply. Members raised concerns about the cumulative impact of traffic on the local road network and concluded that the land should not be worked simultaneously with Milton Park Farm. It was suggested that if these sites were released, preferred restoration should be detailed within the Plan”.

I look forward to critically scrutinising the proposals laid down by Hanson Aggregates on July 17th.

Longcross Incinerator: sign the online petition

My friend over in Foxhills ward Cllr Howard Butterfield has launched an online petition against the construction of an incinerator and 300ft smoke-stack at on the site of Trumps Farm in Longcross.

Background information can be found here. Needless to say, Runnymede Borough Council is entirely opposed to the scheme.

The petition, as displayed on Howard’s website, is as follows:

I strongly object to plans to build a waste incinerator at Trumps Farm on the basis that:

1. The site is far too close to schools and residential areas and the prevailing winds will take discharges over Virginia Water and Lyne.

2. The local road network is totally inappropriate for the 112 daily HGV journeys proposed.

3. The site is green belt and the proposals will impact on Chobham Common and the habitat, both protected by law.

To register your support for the petition, please click here.

Please click on the YouTube video below to view a copy of the presentation made against the proposal at the public meeting held on 18th June:

Prohibition of Traffic Order – South Road

I have received notification from Surrey County Council that a proposal is being put forward for a Prohibition of Traffic Order in order to temporarily prohibit traffic from entering South Road between the junctions with St Judes Road and Harvest Road.

The order has been applied for in order to enable contractors to carry out road resurfacing works.

The order will come into place on 7th July and will be in operation for eighteen months – but don’t panic! It is anticipated that the resurfacing works will take only one day, although this order will allow the County Council a certain level of flexibility in terms of their timetable for resurfacing and restrictions on traffic will only be in place when signs are erected signalling the prohibition.

Westbound traffic will be diverted via St Judes Road, Egham Hill and Harvest Road. Eastbound traffic will be diverted via Harvest Road, Victoria Street and St Judes Road.

Whilst I am sure the closure of South Road will be hugely annoying when it happens, I doubt anyone would disagree that the resurfacing works are anything other than urgently needed.

Englefield Green Committee Write-Up

I enjoy the Englefield Green committee for one key reason: people care enough to come along.  In my thirteen months on the Council, the total number of members of the public coming along to the relatively infrequent committee meetings dwarfs the total number of attendees at all other council meetings put together.  This speaks volumes as to the level of interest Englefield Green residents have in their village and the strength of community in the local area.

Apologies for my delay in writing up this report but I am currently spending my days jet-skiing in rural Montana…!

There is an informal rule that the Chairman of the Englefield Green committee serves only two terms, so after two years at the helm Pat Roberts stood down as Chairman and handed over the brief to Hugh Meares.  My good friend Jack Perschke was elected as Deputy Chairman.

After eighteen years as one of the two residents’ representatives to the committee, Maria Bairstow stood down as a member of the committee and handed over to Lisa Lawson from Coopers Hill Lane.

Along with the many residents who attend each and every meeting of the Englefield Green committee is Amelia Berry, a young girl who has been campaigning for several years for the extension of the playground on The Green.  Whilst the committee supports the extension of the playground, the recently-submitted planning application in which it was intended to include CCTV and lighting had proved controversial amongst some local residents.  The height and intrusive nature of a large CCTV installation appeared to generate the most objections.

The committee therefore resolved that a new application be made, excluding the present CCTV and lighting elements, whilst requesting that Council’s officers investigate, in conjunction with the Cricket Club, the possibility providing a low cost and less visually obtrusive CCTV installation designed to specifically to cover the Cricket Pavilion.

Following representations from the Cricket Club, it was further agreed that the frequency of cuts of the outfield during the cricket season be increased to a weekly cut.  The additional cost of this extra cut will be £450 a year.

The next Englefield Green committee meeting will be held on 4th November at the Jurgens Centre on Harvest Road.

p.s. – Here’s a photo of the place I’m writing this blog post from (Kalispell, Montana).  I’m sitting no more than ten metres from the jetty.  I’m sure you’re not jealous…!