Phoenix Cultural Centre
Last night the Phoenix Cultural Centre presented a petition to Woking Borough Council requesting assistance in securing a suitable location to accommodate a community cultural centre and live music venue. I have been supportive of the work of the Phoenix Cultural Centre for some time and was pleased to have the opportunity to speak in favour of the project during the debate on their petition.
We have a great musical heritage in the town that goes a lot deeper than the often cited Paul Weller, and during the discussion I referenced a number of bands who started out in the borough and have since gone on to better things. As the council has sought to promote Woking’s cultural offering in the past few years, having some form of dedicated live music venue would help establish our reputation as a borough that provides the resources to help nurture the talent and aspiration of our young people. I also believe that supporting efforts to deliver a live music venue in Woking aligns with what the council has been trying to achieve in the town centre by helping to provide more diverse and better quality evening and night time entertainment.
I commend the work that has been put in by Elaine McGinty and everyone else behind the Phoenix Cultural Centre. They have taken this project from an abstract concept to something that has become popular and successful, and they’ve done it with little in the way of resources or financial sponsorship. By demonstrating their commitment over a number of years, they’ve built a strong case to show that the council should work with them to help realise their ambition for a bigger and better premises.
As a result of the petition, the council has agreed to meet with the Phoenix Cultural Centre and help identify a suitable location as well as different ways in which they can obtain the necessary funding.
This a big step forward and means we can finally start to look forward to the day when Woking will have its own live music venue.
Woking Park play area
After consultation with residents, Woking Borough Council will take forward refurbishment of the play area in Woking Park over the next few months. The work begins today and will likely last for several months. The improvements include extending and re-landscaping the play area, fencing off an additional area as a ‘dog free’ zone, and also landscaping the grass verges at the bottom of the ramp to the swimming pool in preparation for the installation of a refreshment kiosk.
Obviously the timing of this work is far from ideal as it coincides with the start of the summer holidays. However, I have been advised that the repairs need to be done during a period when the weather is dry and that delaying until after the summer break would have pushed the work back into the autumn and winter. There is also a safety element to the decision to proceed now, since the retaining structure on the bank of the stream has been off-limits for some time. I am told a large part of the project will involve re-landscaping and reinforcing this side of the riverbank to bring it back into use.
The work should be completed by the week commencing 22nd September and I will be monitoring the situation closely to ensure that this does not over-run and that residents are kept informed in the event of any delays or further disruption.
Resurfacing of Pembroke Road
Following representations from my colleague Cllr Liz Bowes, I am pleased to report that Surrey County Council will be resurfacing Pembroke Road in early July. There will be roadworks on the carriageway from Heathside Road to Maybury Hill while the work is ongoing, with temporary restrictions placed on the resurfaced area.
This vital route into Woking from the east of the borough has been in need of repair for some time and I am pleased the County Council has finally made it a priority.
Hoe Valley Free School
The Department of Education has approved plans to set up a new mainstream secondary school for 11 to 18 year olds in South Woking. The school is being founded by local parents, teachers, volunteers and business people to address the growing need for school places in Woking as a result of an increasing birth rate and more families moving into the area from other parts of the country.
The Hoe Valley Free School will be the second free school in Surrey and the first of its kind in Woking. Free schools are non-profit making, independent and state funded schools which are free to attend but are not controlled by the local authority. They can be established by parents, education charities and religious groups. Free schools are expected to offer a balanced curriculum in line with national performance standards, and are subject to the same inspection regime as other schools.
Many free schools have gone on to achieve fantastic results. Three quarters of free schools have been rated as outstanding or good by Ofsted at first inspection, so this is a tremendous opportunity for the borough which will help ensure that more children can attend a good quality secondary school close to where they live.
The planned opening date for the school is September 2015 and work is ongoing to find a temporary and then a more permanent location in South Woking. There will obviously be challenges ahead in identifying a suitable site for the school, and any new development which impacts on residents will obviously be a matter for public consultation. Given the potential impact and benefits that this project will bring to families in Mount Hermon, my colleagues and I will be taking a close interest in ensuring that any location found for the school is both suitable and sustainable.