Some residents may have noticed that a large oak tree was felled last week on the Church Lane Nursery site.
The tree was not subject to a Tree Protection Order and we have checked with Mole Valley’s Tree Officer who confirms that the felling was undertaken following a survey which identified a root fungus which made it a hazard.
Based on its size the tree was probably about 200 years old.
Partners across Surrey are working together to plan and manage our response to the growing coronavirus pandemic. Part of this response has been to develop plans for an additional community-style hospital to deal with increasing patient numbers as this situation develops.
Headley Court will now re-open and serve as a temporary community hospital.
Senior Responsible Officer for Surrey Heartlands, Dr Claire Fuller, said: “I would like to take this opportunity to thank all partners who are involved in getting this facility up and running as quickly as possible. This represents a fantastic example of the cross-collaboration between public and private sector partners across Surrey, and the willingness of people to work together in the face of an unprecedented public health emergency.”
With a peak in numbers expected during April, a senior team has been scoping potential solutions in Surrey to provide additional capacity which could relieve pressure on our bigger, acute hospitals and community teams during the weeks and months ahead.
The facility, based in Leatherhead, will provide non-critical care to patients including:
A cross-partner team from across the NHS, Surrey County Council and the military is working hard to get the facility up and running quickly and we anticipate ward areas being ready to receive patients later this month.
Leader of Surrey County Council, and Chair of the Surrey Heartlands Partnership Tim Oliver said: “The collaboration demonstrated through this project, and our wider response to the current situation, has been remarkable. We will get through this together, thanks to the hard work of our frontline workers and the great willingness on the part of all our staff who are doing the most remarkable job in the most challenging conditions.”
The Headley Court facility, which previously provided rehabilitation care to military personnel before it closed in September 2017, is already configured with ward space and other clinical areas making it ideal to be quickly converted for use as a community hospital.
Karen Thorburn, who has been leading this part of the project on behalf of the local NHS added: “We would like to say a particular thank you to Tony Williamson of Angle Property, the current land owner of Headley Court, for his willingness to work with us on this project, without whom this wouldn’t have been possible.”
Headley Parish Council supports this use of Headley Court. Many local residents are proud of Headley Court’s long history of supporting the military in their time of crisis and we are equally proud that the facilities are being used to help out in the current situation. We are pleased that Angle Property have agreed to make the site available.
A further update for local residents from MVDC:
We would like to reassure residents that there is minimal risk to local people’s health from the temporary facility being set up at Headley Court. This community-style facility is intended for non-acute patients only. This means that the sickest patients will still be treated in the bigger, acute hospitals, so for patients in this area that would still be at Epsom Hospital.
Instead, the Headley Court facility will be providing non-critical care to patients, i.e. those who still need to be in hospital but who don’t need emergency or life-saving care. Some of these patients will be recovering from Covid-19, and sadly some patients may be at the end of their life, either from Covid-19 or other illnesses.
Any patients still suffering from Covid-19 will continue their treatment following all of the relevant clinical guidance with staff treating them protected with the appropriate PPE (personal protection equipment).
We are expecting some staff to be living on site; other staff will need to travel to and from the site, either using their own transport or by shuttle bus. Again this poses minimal risk to local people particularly as the facility is self-contained on a large site.
It is really important during this time of national difficulty that we work together and allow the NHS to get on with the important job of treating and caring for patients in the most appropriate way. This facility has been set up to relieve pressure on our larger hospitals; it is not a Nightingale style hospital and will only look after people who don’t require care in an acute hospital.
The facility has been very carefully planned through a joint partnership between the NHS, Surrey County Council, Mole Valley District Council and military planners, using the expertise of all involved. Next week the facility will be handed over to Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Trust who will be responsible for running the unit and for all its clinical governance and safety procedures.
We hope this gives you assurance around the questions you have raised.
Metrobus announced yesterday that they would be withdrawing the 21 bus service from 4 April for the duration of the current crisis. This is as a result of Metrobus experiencing a high number of staff absences through self-isolation and caring for relatives. In addition, usage of the service has fallen: 12 passenger journeys were made on the route yesterday compared to 197 on 9 March.
Box Hill village is still served by the Demand Responsive Service with a regular shopping trip which operates every Monday. This service can be booked by calling the booking line Tel: 01883 732791. The County Council has made the Demand Responsive Service aware that the 21 bus service is being withdrawn and that there may be additional journeys being requested from Box Hill. The booking line staff will assist with passenger enquiries.
It is never an easy decision to withdraw a service but in these extraordinary circumstances it has not been possible to keep this service running. Once this crisis is all over bus services will return to normal routes and service levels. If you do have any further questions, please come back to me.
County Councillor Hazel Watson
Leader of Mole Valley District Council, Councillor Stephen Cooksey said, “Last week was an extraordinary week for all of us and I would like to thank everybody in the district for pulling together and assisting each other, as we continue staying at home to stop the spread of coronavirus.
“Within the council we now have almost all of our staff working from home, they are providing vital services and virtual assistance within key areas such as Housing, Council Tax, Benefits and Business Support.
“Many of our staff are now fulfilling entirely different roles to their normal work as we partner with Surrey County Council, providing assistance via the Community Helpline – 0300 200 1008 for those who need non-emergency help. Our website www.molevalley.gov.uk is available and whilst our offices are all closed you can call us between the hours of 8.30am – 5pm, on our normal number 01306 885001.
“A letter from myself and Mole Valley’s CEO Karen Brimacombe to all residents and businesses will arrive with everyone towards the end of this week, further detailing what we are doing and how you can find out more information.
“We have confirmed that all of Mole Valley District Council’s car parks are now free of charge until further notice, with our parking attendants busy ensuring our main roads and access for key deliveries are kept clear.
“We are heavily supporting businesses. Our business support team, bolstered by other colleagues, is navigating the government’s new initiatives as they are issued. Our website is up to date with all the grants and offers that can be applied for. Please see www.molevalley.gov.uk and if you are a business, do check in daily to see what’s new.
“Residents have been contacting us about Council Tax payments, benefits and housing dilemmas and we are working at pace. We are aware that some people will struggle to pay their Council Tax and if that is you, then please do contact us to discuss this. Income from your Council Tax enables us to pay for vital services that support the vulnerable, these may be your family, friends and neighbours so if you can pay, please continue to do so as the funds for this are much needed. We are pleased that our waste services have continued to operate a near normal service, if at any stage we have to change this we will ensure it is highlighted on our website and social media.
“We thank you again for supporting each other during this unprecedented time. If you have the capacity to help others please do register via www.surreycc.gov.uk on the coronavirus pages, or call on 0300 200 1008.”
As you will probably be aware the roads through Headley are now fully open and the contactors have left the site. SES Water will advise us in advance when they plan to return to complete the work.
Leader of Mole Valley District Council, Councillor Stephen Cooksey said, “We are all working hard on providing vital services and assistance for residents and businesses in Mole Valley. Whilst our offices are now all closed with the majority of our staff working from home, our website www.molevalley.gov.uk remains fully functioning and you can call us between the hours of 8.30am – 5pm on our normal number 01306 885001.
“We are working with Surrey County Council on their new Coronavirus Pandemic Helpline – 0300 200 1008. This number can be dialled for non-emergency enquiries about support, such as picking up shopping, prescription collections or having someone who can be a telephone friend, or for direction to services who can help you in other ways.
“People in Mole Valley have been exemplary in their response to this national crisis, helping friends, family and neighbours. If you have further capacity to help others we would ask you to register your support by calling 0300 200 1008 so this can be co-ordinated.
“We have launched an Emergency Fund for local organisations to apply to help them deliver services to help the district’s most vulnerable people. Grants of up to £5,000 will be available. Please call us on 01306 885001 for more details on this.
“We are undertaking a huge amount of work in organising all the support on offer for our local businesses. We are moving as fast as we can on this and are managing a high speed flow of new information, so please see our website for updates, and keep checking social media for our news.
“Temporary parking permits are now available for our long term car parks for £30 for three months, this is to assist those who now unusually have their cars at home.
“In addition to this we have removed the time restrictions for Off-Peak permits. For the time being, these permits are valid in MVDC long term car parks outside of the specified off-peak times without any penalty.
“Our playgrounds are closed now for everyone’s safety. We are fortunate in Mole Valley that we live in such beautiful surroundings, so those of you who are able to, can still go out for a walk as per government guidelines.
“We thank you for supporting each other during this unprecedented time, we are a resilient community and will continue to support each other. We thank you all for staying at home, we will get through this by helping one another.”
The road closure is being moved from Hurst Lane to Broome Close. To avoid the congestion from through traffic that was experienced when Tot Hill was closed last year, plastic barriers will be placed across the top of Slough Lane with appropriate signage. Residents who want to use this route can of course remove the barriers but please ensure you replace them. As you will be aware this is a single track frequented by horse riders so please exercise caution.
Dear Partner
I thought you might appreciate some information regarding what services the District Council will be providing with effect from Monday 23 March.
Customers can continue to access our services by telephone and web in the normal way. With regards to Reception, we will be open at Pippbrook Monday to Friday from 8.30am to 1.00pm. During this time there will be an officer available from Housing, Benefits and Revenues to see any callers. We are encouraging people to phone us first and make an appointment. The Help Shop at Leatherhead will be closed, however residents will be asked to call us and we will do all we can to assist.
We are doing all we can to keep front line services up and running as much as possible and will be processing planning applications, licensing applications, investigating complaints etc as best we can. Clearly we will have to minimise visits to customers but we want to minimise disruption where possible.
At the current time refuse collections continue as normal, Leatherhead Leisure Centre is operating a reduced timetable and Dorking Leisure Centre is open. Our Civil Enforcement Officers and JET team are out and about to make sure we are a visible presence in the community.
Formal Council meetings have been cancelled or postponed and we are awaiting guidance as to how we can facilitate remote decision making eg Planning Committee. Guidance is also awaited regarding the need to have the Annual Council meeting – we understand that we will be able to suspend the need for this.
In relation to community services
Our attention has been on working out how best to support vulnerable members of our community who need support while self isolating. We are currently working with Surrey CSVA and Surrey County Council to devise a scheme which matches those who need help with all those who are very kindly offering assistance (I know this includes many of you). I expect that this will be operational from the early part of next week – we will circulate more details as soon as we have them.
We are very conscious that, with our day centre closing, a lot of our older residents might miss the regular contact that they provide. Our team at the centre will be making regular contact with our customers and anyone who is registered with us as a vulnerable person. Clearly our telecare service operates as normal.
Contacting us
In terms of contacting officers over the weeks to come, you can simply email or call them as normal as we will all be able to access our work phones from wherever we are working.
Thank you for all your ongoing help and support.
Best wishes
Karen Brimacombe
Chief Executive
Mole Valley District Council
Police who are investigating a report of suspicious behaviour in a woodland near Headley are appealing for dog walkers, horse riders and other bridleway users to come forward as they may have information that could assist with their investigation.
Click here for more information.
