Welcome to Horsell Common

Horsell Common is one of only a handful of privately owned areas of common land in England with public access.

The Horsell Common Preservation Society Trustees who manage the common, do so with great care out of respect for the wildlife living there and the general environment. This Internet site will tell you what you need to know about the place that helps define Woking as a wonderful area in which to live.

Proposed Improvements to the Common on both sides of Monument Road.

This statement advises the reasons for improving the above-mentioned areas of the common, and the proposed actions to be taken.

Horsell Common Car Parks

The following statement is in response to rumours that HCPS is closing car parks. There are no plans to close any car parks. Neither are there plans to reduce the number of car parking spaces. There are plans, however, to redistribute the current number of car parking spaces across three locations for the reasons that follow.

BALANCE BETWEEN NATURE AND ACCESS
Horsell Common Preservation Society strives to maintain a balance between assisting the access of the common to all and to the preservation of the land and the species on the common. The provision of the car parks has widened the access to the common. In so doing it has also encouraged more visitors. However welcome these visitors are one has to be aware of the delicate balance between nature conservation and recreational use. European legislation in fact requires that consideration is given to this important subject. There is therefore a need for the HCPS to respond accordingly.

SURVEYS BY NATURAL ENGLAND AND BY BRITISH TRUST FOR ORNITHOLOGY
A recent traffic survey of the car parks revealed that over 450 cars visit the 2 car parks daily, almost exclusively for people to exercise their dogs. Conversely, a bird survey carried out last summer by the British Trust for Ornithology revealed that we had just one pair of Nightjars on Horsell Common in 2007. In The LDA DESIGN report to Natural England, the Horsell Common habitat quality rating was at the highest level, yet the bird populations were extremely low, this is explained as being entirely due to visitor pressure.

ADVICE OF NATURAL ENGLAND AND THE RSPB
The advice given by Natural England and other organisations such as the RSPB is that urgent measures need to be taken to relieve the pressure on the SPA, and to achieve this, new areas for recreation need to be created. Once constructed, the new car park on Monument Road will have 25 parking spaces, therefore a corresponding reduction will be made in the existing two car parks. A new trail will be opened up within the Monument Road area of the common that will have a circular path 1200 metres in length with nearly 500 metres along the canal bank to help make that area of common more attractive. A recent survey demonstrated that some visitors walk for an average 15 minutes. The new site will provide an excellent venue for those wishing to embark on a short, but interesting alternative walk. The site has a number of historical and geographical features of interest as well as access to the canal. Dogs there will not be required to be on leads, as they will not be in the vicinity of ground nesting birds, but it is required that the dogs keep their owners safe and under control!

Link: Leaflet for those with dogs and the need to keep them under control during bird nesting season, an interesting leaflet endorsed by the Kennel Club. Page 8 is helpful.

Link2: Countryside Access Code especially relevant in this case to the wellbeing of protected birds. There is a need when walking on protected heath to keep dogs on a short lead between the 1st of March and the 31st of July.

Sandy Track Car Park

This car park poses a perennial problem. It is on the SSSI. It does not have visual access from the main road, which makes it extremely difficult to police. As there is no timed entrance, the site is open to misuse i.e. illegal narcotic use and under age drinking. The access track to it is expensive and difficult to maintain. The number of spaces for this car park and Six Crossroads Car Park will be reduced when Monument Road car park is opened but only by a total between them of 25 spaces. This car park would only be closed in the future if a suitable alternative is found, which gives access to large areas for those with or without dogs. We would ensure that the area they could cover would satisfy even the hardiest rambler.

Posters on the Common

On the 25 th February I issued a statement regarding posters on the Common. Thank you to all the members for their co-operation over this matter.

We have previously stated the reasons for not allowing posters on the common. However, please do consider advertising in our Common magazine, which is released twice a year.

John Durrant
Chairman HCPS

 

Heather Farm - Surrey's Waste Plan

We have now received a copy of the Inspectors Report into the Waste Plan and the Committees views on the matter are as follows.

Representations were put forward by HCPS principally raising concern about the approach being taken by the county Council and the high degree of uncertainty and clarity in the strategy and evidence base being put forward. HCPS have always maintained the view that we were prepared to consider alternative uses for this site, including waste recycling, provided it would not have a detrimental impact upon the common.

The Inspectors report into the Waste Plan is to say the least disappointing. From our perspective it does not provide the clarity or adequately address the site specific issues relating to this site. Whilst the Inspectors report recognises the limitation on access, on issues of biodiversity and air quality it is vague, arguing that these issues can be addressed via a project specific assessment (i.e. at the application stage). Equally on flood risk, the Inspector recognises that the site floods, but again believes that project-specific flood defence and compensation measures cannot be ruled out.

Overall, the Inspectors report leaves many issues un-resolved and a high degree of uncertainty as to what would be an appropriate waste operation given the sites unique constraints. In effect consideration could be given to a wide range of processes falling under the following categories; recycling, storage, transfer, materials recovery and processing facilities. The effect could be that HCPS will find itself consulted on and having to consider a wide array of proposals, with subsequent time and cost implications.

Letter asking for removal of Heather Farm from
the Surrey Waste Plan link: and the Blue Prince letter referred to therein.

McLaren Park Management Plan for the Public Access Land at the McLaren Tehnology Centre
Draft

Horsell Common is a Registered Charity:
Company No. 6460936
Charity No. 1123473