Author: Stu Bevan

A public meeting has been scheduled to give Parishioners a chance to discuss the decision of the Parish Council to cease its operation of the Village Hall. This will be on Wednesday 5th November at 19.30 in the Village Hall.

The next full council meeting will be held in the Memorial Library at 7.30pm on Monday 3rd November. A copy of the agenda can be found here.

Following the upgrading of the level crossings on the Guildford Reigate line we received some further information which may answers some questions being raised by parishioners - in particular why are the waiting times longer?

---

Many thanks for your email. I’ve attached the below as a narrative about the level crossing barrier down time at following our recent upgrades on the North Downs Line. Regarding your point about level crossings working in tandem, I can confirm all the crossings on this route operate independently from each other.

Tangley, Brook and Burrows level crossing used to use an Automatic Half Barrier system which operated using 1970s striking point technology. When a train reached a designated point on the railway, an alarm sounds and the barriers (which only cover half the road) were lowered, only rising when the train has cleared the crossing. This process occured without any intervention or visual confirmation by our signallers. These crossings were ranked as some of the riskiest on the Wessex route.

The AHB crossings could not continue to exist in their current form. To prevent Network Rail shutting the crossings entirely, they have been upgraded to either a Manually Controlled Full Barrier Crossing using CCTV in the case of Tangley, or a Manually Controlled Full Barrier Crossing using Obstacle Detection in the case of Brook and Burrows.

Now at Tangley, when a train approaches a new crossing, a signaller in the Guildford Area Signalling Centre will monitor the crossing remotely, lowering the barriers when safe to do so. At Brooks and Burrows, the barriers will begin to close as before, while a radar continuously scans the crossing to make sure nothing has been trapped in between the barriers. All three crossings now have barriers that fully block the road.

The new crossings have been designed to be easier to maintain, and our analysis shows the work will decrease the risk of an incident by 97%.

This operation has led to longer wait times at the crossing, in this case the average barrier time has increased post our commissioning works in September. This new time is in line with our national barrier down time standards. The increased barrier down time is to make sure the crossing is and remains clear during the entirety of its operation. The table below details the changes:

Crossing	Existing Down Time	Forecast Down Time
Tangley (AHB to MCB-CCTV)	45 seconds	155-180 seconds
Chilworth (MCB-CCTV to MCB-CCTV)	105-165 seconds	125-165 seconds
Brook (AHB to MCB-OD)	40 seconds	149-172 seconds
Burrows Lane (AHB to MCB-OD)	40 seconds	110-165 seconds

We have a legal responsibility to reduce risk on the railway, this involves upgrading AHB crossings where the risk to all users is at an unacceptable level, and our teams will continue to strike a balance between running the railway and being a responsible neighbour to the local community.

As ever if you have any further questions please do not hesitate to let me know.

Kind regards,

Harry Riley (He/Him/His)
Public Affairs Manager
Southern: Wessex

Another notification of roadworks - traffic calming measure works on The Street, Shalford - starting on Monday 6th Oct. 

---

Safety Improvement Works

13 Oct

For 4 Weeks

See below for a map for the extents of our works – works will be carried out from Tillingbourne River Bridge to the junction with Kings Road.

Sometimes our plans must change, often due to bad weather or problems on other works in the same programme which can have a knock-on effect. If anything changes with the details of these works, we will let you know.

You and your residents can also find up to date details of the works on www.surreycc.gov.uk/roadworks 

We received a notice from Surrey County Council (SCC) - the detail is below but in essence:

• Shophouse Road will be closed between Lockhurst Hatch Lane to its junction with Row Lane for up to 5 days from Oct 14th
• the works are anticipated to be completed within 2 days between the hours of 9:30am and 3:30pm
• Access for pedestrians and cyclists will be maintained at all times
• It is for drainage repair works to be carried out by, or on behalf of Surrey County Council

Please find below, a copy of the notice in accordance with the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984:

NOTICE
Surrey County Council
Shophouse Lane (D194) Albury
Temporary Prohibition of Traffic Notice 2025

Surrey County Council in Exercise of Its Powers Under Section 14(2) of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 and of all other enabling powers hereby gives notice that no person shall cause or permit any vehicle to enter or proceed in that length of Shophouse Lane (D194) Albury which extends from its junction with Lockhurst Hatch Lane (D224) to its junction with Row Lane (D224).

Alternative route: Row Lane (D194), Winterfold Heath Road (D194), Winterfold Heath Road (D193), Windmill Plain (D192), Hound House Road (C46), Shere Heath Road (D222), Little London (D222), Brook Lane (D222), Brook Hill (D194) and Shophouse Lane (D194) or the same route in reverse. 

This Notice is required to enable drainage repair works to be carried out by, or on behalf of Surrey County Council. The Notice will commence on 14 October 2025 for a period of up to 5 days, however the works are anticipated to be completed within 2 days between the hours of 9:30am and 3:30pm. Advanced warning signs will be displayed, and the temporary closure will only operate when the relevant traffic signs are displayed. Access for pedestrians and cyclists will be maintained at all times. All other vehicular traffic will be required to use the signed diversion route including emergency vehicles and residents. 

The prohibition referred to above will not apply: (i) in respect of anything done with the permission or at the direction of a police constable in uniform; (ii) in respect of anything done in accordance with any restriction or requirement indicated by traffic signs placed on the highway by or on behalf of the Police; (ii) to any vehicle being used in connection with the works; (iv) to any person carrying out the works.

The July Parish Council meeting will be take place at 19.30 on Monday 7^th July in the Memorial Library. A copy of the agenda can be found here.

Surrey County Council are proposing to amend the speed limits in and around the Parish (You may have seen some notices locally). This will involve the introduction of 20 & 30mph limits in Brook Hill, Brook Lane, Farley Heath Road, Farley Green, Little London, Lockhurst Hatch Lane, Guildford Lane, New Road, Park Road, Row Lane, Shophouse Lane, Water Lane & White Lane.

The deadline for submitting responses to their survey is July 4^th which may not give the council enough time to construct its own formal response (Unfortunately we were not notified that this was going to occur) but you can find more details at https://www.surreysays.co.uk/environment-and-infrastructure/rural-roads-guildford-and-waverley-speed-limits/ including a link to the Online survey.

The details specific to the Parish are at https://www.surreysays.co.uk/environment-and-infrastructure/rural-roads-guildford-and-waverley-speed-limits/user_uploads/area-3-tro-proposals---shere-plans.pdf.

The annual parish council meeting will be held on Monday 12th May 2025 in the Memorial Library. The agenda is available here.

There will be a meeting on Saturday 22nd March from 10.30am to noon in the Village Hall to give an update on the Parish Neighbourhood plan.

This will also be covered at the annual parish meeting which will be held Wednesday 30th April at 7.30pm - again in the Village Hall.