Culture

Work is schedule to begin again from 12th October 2020 and we plan to finish by end of July 2021.

When possible, Clancy Docwra will be working 7:30am to 5pm Monday to Friday. However, these hours may vary depending on weather conditions, daylight and staff availability.

The work on these water mains can cause disruption and any oganisations should contact SES on 01737 772000 so they can:

• Work closely to plan the specific timing, location and duration of works in the area
• Work together to ensure deliveries can get through and customers can still access any shops, restaurants and businesses
• Provide extra signage to ensure everyone knows it is ‘business as usual’
• Share information on the scheme to be circulated to residents, customers, employees,

Where the work leads to unavoidable disruption to the usual operation of businesses, and in particular where there is clear evidence that the work has had an impact on the profits, SES will pay compensation for that loss. Please visit their website for more information about their policy for loss of business earnings.

SES Water – 01737 772000

Yesterday, on the advice of the four Chief Medical Officers, the UK’s COVID alert level was raised from three to four, the second most serious stage, meaning that transmission is high or rising exponentially.

The Prime Minister has made a statement to the Commons today. This covered these main points:

• Office workers who can work from home should do so.
• From Thursday, all pubs, bars and restaurants must operate table-service only, except for takeaways. Together with all hospitality venues, they must close at 10pm.
• The face coverings will be extended to include staff in retail, to all users of taxis and private hire vehicles, and to staff and customers in indoor hospitality, except when seated at a table to eat or drink.
• In retail, leisure, tourism and other sectors, Covid-secure guidelines will become legal obligations. Businesses will be fined and could be closed if they breach these rules.
• The rule of six will be tightened. From Monday, a maximum of 15 people will be able to attend wedding ceremonies and receptions, though, up to 30 can still attend a funeral as now. The rule of six will also have to extend to all adult indoor team sports.
• The spread of the virus is now affecting the ability to reopen business conferences, exhibitions and large sporting events. Plans to do so will be on pause.

Other points:

• Local lockdowns will continue where necessary. Where local lockdown areas are under more stringent measures these will continue for as long as necessary.
• The penalty for failing to wear a mask or breaking the rule of six will now double to £200 for a first offence.
• Following advice from senior clinicians, people do not need to shield – except in local lockdown areas. This will be kept under constant review.
• If these actions fail to bring the R below 1, then the Government reserves the right “to deploy greater firepower, with significantly greater restrictions”.

It is vital to remember the basics – washing hands, covering faces, observing social distancing – and following the rules.

Headley Parish Council (HPC) has noted the recent request from some members of the Headley Residents Action Group calling on us to pass an urgent resolution for a Judicial Review (JR) into the recent Headley Court planning application.

HPC has been working for over 6 years to secure a future use of the Headley Court estate that reflects its setting and location and is acceptable to the local community.

Most recently we provided a powerful summary of the planning case against the application and we were surprised and disappointed that it was approved by Mole Valley’s Development Management Committee.

At an Extraordinary meeting in July, HPC decided to ask the Secretary of State to call in the decision, but this request was refused.

At the subsequent scheduled Parish Council meeting, HPC decided to lodge a formal complaint with Mole Valley about aspects of the decision-making process. This complaint is progressing and we have asked for various forms of redress, including clarification of which elements of the approved application may be challenged when the Reserved Matters are considered.

We also agreed a framework for making decisions regarding initiating legal action of any sort, including a possible Judicial Review (JR). Such a decision-making framework is essential to ensure that any expenditure of, or possible risk to, the public funds entrusted to us can be justified to all the Headley residents who have contributed via their Council Tax.

We have a duty to ensure that any decision is based on the available evidence and an assessment of the likelihood of success and is only undertaken once other, less costly, avenues have been explored. Since the July meeting, HPC has been continuing to assemble the evidence needed to make a decision under this framework.

At this stage any decision to proceed with a JR would be premature, since no JR can be initiated until the Decision Notice is published (which we have been advised will not be before the next Parish Council meeting), and counter-productive, since it would bring an immediate end to any prospects of elements
of redress from MVDC’s complaints process.

This issue will be reviewed at our next Parish Council meeting which will be on Monday 28^th September at 7.30pm via ZOOM. Please email the Clerk for login details and to submit any questions you may have, prior
to the meeting.

clerk@headley-pc.gov.uk

HEADLEY PARISH COUNCIL – CASUAL VACANCY FOR A COUNCILLOR

LOCAL GOVERNMENT ACT 1972

There is a vacancy on the above Parish Council following the resignation of Councillor Vivienne Williams. 

A by-election to fill the vacancy will be held if, within 14 days (not counting a Saturday, Sunday or Bank Holiday) from the date below, ten electors for the said Parish give notice in writing claiming such an election to the
Returning Officer. Due to Covid-19 restrictions, any by-election would not be held until May 2021.

The address of the Returning Officer is:

Mole Valley District Council
Pippbrook
Dorking RH4 1SJ

If no such notice is given, the Parish Council will fill the vacancy by co-option.

This notice is dated Tuesday 28^th July 2020.

Interested parties should email the clerk for further information – clerk@headley-pc.gov.uk

Tracy Hamer – Clerk to the Council
Headley Parish Council
07778 546477

CASUAL VACANCY FOR A COUNCILLOR – July 2020 HPC

HEADLEY PARISH COUNCIL – PRESS RELEASE

OUR GREEN BELT IS AT RISK, FOLLOWING A VOTE BY THE DEVELOPMENT MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE OF MOLE VALLEY DISTRICT COUNCIL

On Wednesday 1st July Mole Valley’s Development Management Committee (DMC) considered the application by Angle Properties to build a housing estate of up to 70 dwellings on land to the west of Headley Road, being only part of the site of the Headley Court estate.

The Chair of the Parish Council was allowed to speak for 3 minutes and the live-streaming of the hearing was observed by more than 70 members of the public including all Parish Councillors. The 4 hour meeting was notable for the lack of balanced opinion, the omission of topics of both local and national significance and the fact that Councillors admitted to having had insufficient time to read the information supplied for their consideration. However, despite the lack of informed debate, the Committee voted in favour of the development.

There were a number of “elephants in the room” – important topics that everyone should have known about but no one wanted to discuss. “Strictly personal consents” granted by MVDC to the MOD but now used to benefit Angle Properties was one and there were also planning issues of more than local importance such as the Green Belt and lack of Sustainability.

David Preedy, Chairman of Headley Parish Council concludes:

“Overall, in the opinion of Headley Parish Council, the Application does not comply with national policies on important issues. When combined with our concerns at various aspects of Mole Valley’s handling of the application, Headley Parish Council unanimously decided at an Extraordinary Meeting on 13th July that the Application should instead be referred to the Secretary of State.

“The Parish Council has therefore formally requested that the Secretary of State (under section 77 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990) call-in for determination the Mole Valley planning application MO/2020/0185 (Headley Court, Headley Road, Headley, KT18 6JW).”

Background information
Headley Court achieved world-wide recognition as the home for the Defence Medical Rehabilitation Centre (DMRC) – a centre of excellence for the rehabilitation of UK service personnel, especially for those who received life-changing injuries sustained in the UK’s military engagements in Afghanistan and Iraq. Initially it was exempt from the civilian planning processes, but since about 2006 it has been subject to local planning policies.

In 2014, the MoD announced its decision to cease using Headley Court, handing the site back to its then owners – the Headley Court Charity. They in turn announced their intention to sell the site and it was purchased on 1^st May 2019 by Angle Properties who immediately sold on the part of the site to Clerkenwell Properties.

Like the rest of Headley, the site is wholly ‘washed over’ by the Metropolitan Green Belt. In Mole Valley’s planning policies, Headley is not even designated as a ‘smaller rural village’, so planning constraints are tight for all residents, reflecting the unsustainable nature of housing development in the area.

Parts of the Headley Court were recognised as a Major Developed Site in the Green Belt (MDS) and it has always been recognised that, in the event of the MoD leaving the site, some redevelopment, including some housing, would be appropriate subject to constraints to protect the Green Belt; the current application breaks these conditions. Moreover many buildings were given permission personal to the Minister of Defence reflecting the very special role played by the DMRC. Controversially Mole Valley has not resisted the new owner’s attempts to argue that this benefit should now accrue to them.

For further information, please contact David Preedy, Chair, Headley Parish Council

chair@headley-pc.gov.uk

07904 127091

Leader of Mole Valley District Council, Councillor Stephen Cooksey said, “Things are moving quickly this week and I wanted to give you an update on where we are with the reopening of some of Mole Valley’s community facilities.”

“From this weekend we will be reopening our tennis and basketball courts. Parks remain open too. While we want you to be able to enjoy using these facilities as part of your daily exercise please make sure you follow social distancing rules at all times. Please ensure you do not gather in groups of more than two people, except with members of your household. Updated guidance on social distancing can be found here.”

“It is also important that we don’t compromise on hand hygiene when out and about, particularly before and after touching any surfaces.”

“I would also like to reiterate that there are still around 400 businesses within Mole Valley that are entitled to claim a business grant, particularly those within Scout and Girl Guide groups, village/parish halls, sports clubs, riding/equestrian stables and tenants of business parks and serviced offices where they pay rates. If you know someone who is part of one of these organisations, please let them know that there is support available. Small Business Grants can be claimed here”.

Please be assured that if you have received a postcard from Joint Waste Solutions (JWS) regarding your food waste collection service, it is only the time of day that is changing, not the day of collection.

Your food waste will be collected by a separate waste vehicle from Monday 18 May. Please put your caddy out as you would on your normal collection day and leave it out until it is emptied.

“If you have received a letter from JWS, it is because your bin collection day is changing. The letter sets out which days are changing and when these changes take effect. If you have any questions, please visit jointwastesolutions.org or call us on 01306 885001.”

“I would like to thank everyone in Mole Valley for the continued kindness you are showing to each other as a community during this time.”

Leatherhead CRC is open from today for black bag and garden waste only. Please only visit the CRC is essential. Please check the website here before you travel for full details and follow the traffic marshals when approaching the site.

Join members of the Parish Council at Headley Village Hall tomorrow from 3.30pm.

There will be copies of the plans and a summary of the key concerns we have identified about the proposals. Parish Councillors will be present to discuss these and to listen to other issues that you might raise. The Parish Council also be able to provide help on how to make your own submissions.