Road Wars

Stringers Common And A Hidden Agenda

Squall 12, Spring 1996, pg. 40.

Misinformation, hidden agendas and cover-ups, this time from Surrey County Council over its proposed Woking Road (A320) ‘Improvement’ Scheme.

Currently in the proposal stage, the road scheme, if it goes ahead, will cut through the beautiful woodland and open spaces of Stringers Common, as well as parts of Whitmoor Common, a Site of Special Scientific Interest. More than 200 mature trees are to be ripped up, a pond is to be relocated and many species of wildlife will lose their habitats.

The scheme will also mean the creation of two new roundabouts and the enlargement of two existing ones. Changes to access roads has lead the Council to make eleven Compulsory Purchase Orders against the will of the present landowners. The scheme is estimated to cost over £2.5 million.

Victoria, who lives locally and is a founder of the Campaign for Stringers Common, believes that the road has been kept deliberately quiet by the Council.

“I only found out about the plans in September ‘95 when I saw CPOs and Side Order notices whilst walking my dogs in the wood.”

The Campaign for Stringers Common began by collecting signatures for a petition against the road. They found that the majority of local people had not heard of the Council’s proposals or the Public Enquiry planned for Jan 30 ‘96.

The Council’s reasons for wanting to ‘improve’ the road are to reduce traffic congestion and accidents but, as Victoria argues: “It seems ridiculous that the Council is putting across these reasons when latest research such as the SACTRA Report states that more roads simply attract more traffic.”

Since the campaign against the road got under way further plans have been found for a waste incinerator at the nearby Slyfield Industrial Estate. When sifting through Surrey Council’s impact report on waste management, campaigners found written statements regarding a new, planned incinerator and that this “large scale waste incinerator would operate anywhere of up to 300 movements daily on the surrounding road network”.

A large scale waste incinerator would not make waste disappear, but reduce it to ash and atmospheric emissions. Usually, about 90% of such ash is toxic, containing dioxins and furans, as well as various dangerous heavy metals such as lead and cadmium. There have been reports lately of high cancer rates clustered around incinerator sites. This particular incinerator is planned to be built near houses and a local primary school.

In the interests of democracy and debate, Victoria and other anti-road campaigners tried to attend a meeting about the road scheme held by the Jacobs Well Residents Association (a village that will be affected by the scheme). Victoria and the other campaigners who live close to the proposed route were turned away at the door by police who told them they were not residents of Jacobs Well.

One campaigner, who got into the meeting, was not given a chance to air her views as Tory Councillor, Harry Pickup, took to the platform and dominated the meeting with his views as to why the scheme was a good idea whilst denying any link between the road and the incinerator. The meeting ended up voting in favour of the road.

At the end of the meeting Pickup stated, “Isn’t it wonderful that we have democracy,” and then thanked the police for attending.