To consider any questions from councillors in accordance with Standing Order 9.
From Councillor John Neale:
Now that this council has abandoned its objectiveof delivering some form of pedestrianisation in Farnham town centre(Paragraph 9 Farnham Project, Key Principles and Objectives, Adopted by Farnham Town Council 14-05-20), how does it expect to achieve, or to influence the principal councils to achieve:
1. Improvements to air quality in the town centre, in accordance with the Local Air Quality Action Plan?
2. Encouragement of modal change in its citizens’ travel choices, together with a determined plan for the introduction of attractive and viable bus transport options?
3. The provision of a safer and viable road system for cyclists to access and traverse the town centre?
4. Its declared Climate Change policies, in particular to encourage the local community to reduce its carbon footprint. (Council Minute C81/19: v of 19th September 2019)?
5. Reduction in modern traffic management paraphernalia, with a view to improving the heritage characteristics of the town centre conservation area?
The inference of all these statements is that a transformation of the town centre, which disallowed through traffic by, say, 2030, through a phased introduction of enabling measures, would have made a major contribution to these objectives. Contrarily, the current plans of the council are likely to exacerbate the problems. So, what is the council now expecting to do, instead, to address these issues in order to achieve health and wellbeing benefits for Farnham residents?
Minutes:
Cllr Neale raised the following question regarding the Farnham Infrastructure Programm:
‘Now that this council has abandoned its objective of delivering some form of pedestrianisation in Farnham town centre (Paragraph 9 Farnham Project, Key Principles and Objectives, Adopted by Farnham Town Council 14-05-20), how does it expect to achieve, or to influence the principal councils to achieve:
1. Improvements to air quality in the town centre, in accordance with the Local Air Quality Action Plan?
2. Encouragement of modal change in its citizens’ travel choices, together with a determined plan for the introduction of attractive and viable bus transport options?
3. The provision of a safer and viable road system for cyclists to access and traverse the town centre?
4. Its declared Climate Change policies, in particular to encourage the local community to reduce its carbon footprint. (Council Minute C81/19: v of 19th September 2019)?
5. Reduction in modern traffic management paraphernalia, with a view to improving the heritage characteristics of the town centre conservation area?
The inference of all these statements is that a transformation of the town centre, which disallowed through traffic by, say, 2030, through a phased introduction of enabling measures, would have made a major contribution to these objectives. Contrarily, the current plans of the council are likely to exacerbate the problems. So, what is the council now expecting to do, instead, to address these issues in order to achieve health and wellbeing benefits for Farnham residents? ‘
Cllr Beaman responded by thanking Cllr Neale for his question and confirming that Farnham Town Council remained fully committed to pursuing and implementing policies that would encourage modal shift from cars to other modes of transport (cycling, walking and public transport) in order to meet its declared Climate Change objectives, reduce air pollution and create a better environment across the whole town for the benefit of everybody living, working and visiting the town centre as well as the residential areas in North and South Farnham.
He reminded Cllr Neale that to achieve this objective Farnham Town Council had consistently stated that it would eventually like to see pedestrianisation of the town centre but appreciated that this could only be realistically achieved with adequate mitigation measures being implemented to deal with traffic that would be displaced to residential areas if the town centre was to be pedestrianised.
Cllr Beaman emphasised that Farnham Town Council continued to play an active and constructive role in the Farnham Infrastructure Programme which was being undertaken jointly with Surrey County and Waverley Borough Councils and, as reported the Farnham Herald, was campaigning for the current proposals to also include construction of a Hart Link Road from Castle Hill to West Street.
If a Hart Link Road was constructed this would allow consideration to then be given to totally pedestrianising the bottom half of Castle Street. This would remove a significant proportion of traffic that currently has no option but to travel through Central Farnham and would also remove the need for a potentially hazardous challenging right turn from Castle Street into The Borough as envisaged in the current proposals.