Woking Borough Council
Syrian Refugees
Following the statement from the Prime Minister last week that Britain will take in a greater number of Syrian refugees through the Vulnerable Person Resettlement Scheme, my Conservative colleagues have put together proposals to be debated at tomorrow’s Executive meeting which set out how Woking Borough Council intends to meet its responsibility to grant a safe haven for those fleeing the war-torn Middle East.
The war in Syria has by recent international standards been extraordinarily brutal, with ethnic cleansing, chemical and biological weapon attacks and the indiscriminate bombing and targeting of civilians, with entire cities being destroyed. While all sides in the conflict have engaged in human rights abuses, it has become clear over the past few years that the Assad regime is guilty of horrendous crimes. Although there is an understandable reluctance for the UK to enter into another Middle East conflict, there is nonetheless a clear moral imperative for the international community to provide humanitarian assistance to do everything it can to end the suffering.
The suggestion is that Woking could provide accommodation and support for 12 Syrian families a year over the next five years, with the scheme to be reviewed annually to check it is still appropriate. Those eligible for settlement will be identified and security checked by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees and be brought to the country directly from camps in Syria, rather than those who have crossed into Europe illegally. Special priority will be given to the most vulnerable and deserving cases, such as victims of torture or unaccompanied women and children.
All local authorities have a duty to set out how they will contribute to the effort to support an increased number of refugees. In my view, the plans set out by the Executive strike the right balance between showing generosity and compassion while also ensuring that we do not put a strain on infrastructure or exacerbate waiting lists for housing and other local government services.
Many people have contacted the council to ask what they can do to be of assistance, such as offering a spare room or volunteering to foster orphans. I would urge anyone who wishes to host a refugee family to contact Surrey County Council as they will be able to provide more information about what can be done to help.
York Road planning application
Some residents have contacted me to express their opposition to an application to demolish the two storey house next to Consort Court on York Road and replace it with a large tower block with 47 flats and 30 parking spaces.
I have three concerns about this application. The first is that the size of the proposal is out of keeping with similar properties in York Road. Although the New Central flats are just around the corner, properties on York Road are smaller with more unique features and we generally do not have kind of larger developments such as those seen around the station at this location. I would like to see the distinct character of both York Road and Mount Hermon Road maintained and would not wish this application to set a precedent for more tower blocks on these streets in the future.
Secondly, there is an issue with loss of amenity due to such an overbearing development. Residents at Consort Court have stated that he new building comes very close to their boundary and wlil leave them feeling ‘hemmed in’. Ideally I would like to see the number of floors on the new building reduced so that it is consistent with other properties at the top end of York Road.
Finally, I believe that there is a lack of sufficient parking space for the number of dwellings proposed. The developer may anticipate that many of the new residents will use the train to commute to work and so will not require a car, and the council does wish to encourage people to use other means of transport, but realistically we have to accept that people own cars and will want to drive them. I am also concerned that the addition of so many additional homes at quite this narrow part of York Road will exacerbate problems with congestion and traffic flows.
I have made representations to council officers and let them know my views, and very much hope they will listen to residents’ concerns. I will also take a close interest in this matter when it comes before the Planning Committee later in the autumn.
Homelessness in Woking
At last week’s meeting of Full Council, I asked a question about homelessness in Woking. The question was prompted by a number of representations from residents who have highlighted the increase in rough sleepers underneath the canopy on Albion Square and in the tunnel underneath the railway station. Some of the people camped out have been begging aggressively around the station and along Guildford Road, creating a nuisance and intimidating atmosphere for residents and commuters.
In my question, a copy of which can be found here, I asked whether vulnerable people in Woking were slipping through the cracks and not getting the help and support they needed to avoid being made homeless.
I received an answer from Cllr Colin Kemp, the Portfolio Holder for Housing, who explained that the council was working closely with the York Road Project, which receives funding to support those facing or experiencing homelessness in the borough. Cllr Kemp explained that the York Road Project engages in active outreach to ascertain the reasons why people are sleeping on the streets, so it can get them the assistance they require. He also confirmed that rough sleepers able to sustain a tenancy are eligible to go on the housing register and can receive financial help through a bond scheme to help them find a place to stay. Those who are not sleeping rough but are concerned they could become homeless as a result of personal circumstances can go to the council for short term support and if necessary can be placed in emergency accommodation.
As a supplementary question I asked how the council was dealing with the issue of aggressive begging. Cllr Kemp noted that the police will speak to those responsible when complaints are received. However, he said that the council had received intelligence that those responsible were often from outside the borough, with the fact Woking is quite prosperous meaning the town is seen as a magnet for professional beggars from London and elsewhere.
I am pleased that the Executive is taking this issue seriously and that those facing homelessness are not being left to slip through the cracks.
Oriental Road Car Park
I have today written to Woking Borough Council to express my opposition to the inclusion of the Oriental Road car park in the council’s Development Plan Document (DPD). This document, which can be read here, sets out how the council intends to meet its target of building another 4,964 homes in Woking between now and 2027. The council has suggested that the car park could be used to build a high density tower block with aroud 220 new flats to help meet Woking’s housing needs.
While I agree that, with the demand we have for new homes in Woking, we need to look at whether we can meet our needs through brownfield land and sites which are already developed, and I accept that the bulk of new houses and flats in the borough will be built in the town centre, I believe Oriental Road is not a suitable location for the kind of high rise flats which we have seen elsewhere on Guildford Road and around the station. The houses along Oriental Road are small and suburban in character and a big flatted development would be totally out of keeping with the surroundings. Should the council decide that the car park is fit for a large scale housing development, it would go against a previous promise that Oriental Road should retain its distinct and peaceful character with one or two storey family homes rather than high density buildings.
I am also concerned that removing capacity at Oriental Road car park and replacing it with further housing could exacerbate problems with traffic and parking around the station. Woking station is extremely busy and can be gridlocked in the mornings and afternoons. Removing the car park without first putting in alternative provision would be a recipe for chaos.
Although no planning application is expected to come forward for the site within the next 11 to 15 years, and the land is not currently available for residental development, it is important that residents in Oriental Road make their views known if we are to protect the character of the area in the future. I’d encourage everyone, not just in Oriental Road, but all over the borough, to engage with the consultation and have their say.
The deadline for responses to the consultation is 5pm on Friday 31 July and residents can view the draft DPD at www.woking2027.info.