Sarah Bradley, Headmistress of Glenesk School, East Horsley, accepts 'Cognita Small School of the Year' award from Michael Drake, CEO Cognita Europe.

Glenesk School in Ockham Road North has been awarded the title 'Cognita Small School of the Year'.  Presenting the award, Michael Drake, CEO Cognita Europe, praised Glenesk as a wonderful school with a dedicated teaching staff bringing out the very best in their young pupils.

Pictured: Sarah Bradley (Headmistress) and Michael Drake (CEO Cognita Europe)

The team at Serenity Skin Aesthetics, pulled out all the stops for their Christmas window shopfront display this year, winning the annual Christmas Shopfront 2023 Award, which was judged by The Mayor of Guildford, Cllr Masuk Miah. The creativity was extremely high from all retailers who participated, the runners up were the Village Barbers and Viren Jani Optometrist.

It was great to see so many of our local businesses creating displays in the run-up to Christmas - bringing Christmas cheer to our village. The Parish Council would like to thank our local businesses and recognise them for all their hard work.

The Mayor of Guildford, Cllr Masuk Miah, made his annual Xmas visit to East Horsley on 5 December. He was accompanied around the shops, by Cllr Robert Taylor and Assistant Parish Clerk, Kevin Jenkins, so he could judge all the Xmas shopfront displays. 
The Mayor's shopfront award will be announced at the annual Chairman's Thank You Party, held this year at The Drift Golf Club, along with the runners up.

A wonderful day was had by all at the annual Christmas Fair. Thank you to all those who volunteered their help and especially to Terri Wood, owner of Daisy Maison and Cllr Holly Haling, without them this event would not have gone ahead.

Horsley Wheel of Care has now launched, incorporating West Horsley Wheel of Care and East Horsley Care.

Residents of all the Horsleys who are unable to drive can now get help to attend appointments by ringing 07788 552 767 Monday – Friday between 10am-12pm (excluding bank holidays).

Affinity Water has notified the Parish Council that Ockham Road South will be closed throughout November, the first week in December and much of January to allow for the installation of a new water main.   Affinity Water is holding a ‘Community Drop in Event’ on Wednesday 11 October in the East Horsley Village Hall to listen to concerns from residents and local business owners.  The following is an explanation from Affinity Water as to why the work is necessary.

“The works are due to start on Ockham Road South are essential. With a growing population and a rise in developments across our region, combined with environmental challenges of hotter, dryer, longer summers, the stress on our water resources is significant. The purpose of the work is to improve our network infrastructure by building water resilience in the area by installing 600m of new water main. This in turn will allow us to continue supplying high quality drinking water to the local community long into the future. The pipe will be laid on Ockham Road South from the junction of Lynx Hill down to the junction of Guildford Road (A426). 

This specific section of Ockham Road South has been designed to act as a critical support system to push more water into the area. Affinity Water are regulated to provide a minimum pressure and flow volume to each and every consumer, we have seen a steady decline in this area, particularly during periods of high demand. During those periods there is a negative impact to the supplies in the area in the form of low pressure. With additional demand coming onto our network daily with the construction and development of housing projects, the need to support the area with more water is accelerated. 

Affinity Water have been in conversation with the local authority, Surrey County Council (HA) with the intention to secure the required road space for the construction of this project for well over a year. The co-ordination of any works between a Utility and a HA takes into account other works in the area, clashes with other diversion routes for example, community events, proximity to schools etc.  The window of opportunity on this occasion has been set by the local Highways Authority. They are responsible for co-ordinating the road network and we know there is a significant volume of other works being carried out in and around this area. The National Highways works and the Junc10 improvements for example where their planned closures impact our works and vice versa. It is not by any means an easy to try and co-ordinate everybody. Affinity Water have explored all available options to differ the work, to January for example, however we are informed there is not sufficient availability to complete these works at other times than the dates provided. This is due to clashes with the motorway works and other scheduled works being co-ordinated. 

Our permit of works has been granted for the dates of 31 October – 31 January. 

Planned works of this nature comes with a commitment, we are required to send out advanced communications two weeks prior to works starting, we are also required to place Advance Warning Boards out on site, again two weeks prior. As a wholesaler we have an obligation to inform the retailers of any business owners within the vicinity of our works. I can confirm this was done in early August. Our communications team have scheduled letters, emails and text messages to all those within the area of impact, to arrive over the coming days. 

Our intention of course is not to create major disruption, we always look to work with residents and business owners to mitigate impact as far as reasonably practicable. This may include, ‘Business Open As Usual’ signs being placed out, maintaining access where safe to do so. A road closure is always a last resort and one we will only ever undertake on the grounds of safety. Ockham Road South is narrow and one that comes with archaeological challenges alongside, with listed walls and structures along the route. We need to protect these, members of public and of course our own teams throughout. 

As the road is traffic sensitive, Surrey CC have instructed us to stop works in December, we are provisioning for our last day on site to be around 8 December, coming back on the 8 January to recommence. In that time the road will be re-opened and we will clear site completely. 

For businesses that are able to evidence there has been a negative financial impact as a direct result of our activities, a Loss of Business Claim can be submitted regarding compensation. However, this would only be considered on completion of the works to ensure an accurate financial assessment can be made on any loss presented.

Affinity Water Customer Letter

Led by the Twenty’s Plenty pressure group, the UK-wide campaign to reduce speed limits on residential roads to 20mph was given a boost at Monday’s East Horsley Parish Council (EHPC) meeting when members voted unanimously to add its own backing to the crusade.   

Cobham Downside has enjoyed the benefits of slower driving around its green for sometime now and more recently the A244 running through the heart of Oxshott has become subject to a 20mph limit.

Surrey Highways are aware of our ambition and the next step is to draw upon the support of East Horsley residents who for so long have been urging greater speed calming. This will be done by way of a petition which will be launched soon on this site.   

Delays Possible - 9 September - For 1 day - 9:30am to 4pm - NO PARKING. 

Please see map for the extents of works.

Planned closures for week commencing Monday 2 September.

On Monday 2 September 10pm to 5.30am the A3 south bound from the M25 Junction 10 to the A247 Send, will be closing for amendment to the white lining and barrier system.

The diversions for this closure will be:

• Motorway traffic via the M25 J10 to the M25 Eastbound to the M25 J9 then the A24 towards Givens Grove to the A246 towards Guildford to the A247 Clandon and rejoin the A3 at the A247 Send. 

• Non-motorway traffic would be via the Painshill Junction to the A245 to Between Streets to the A307 towards Esher to the A309 to the A3 Hook and then the A243 towards the M25 J9 then the A24 towards Givens Grove to the A246 towards Guildford to the A247 Clandon and rejoin the A3 at the A247 Send. 

• Old Lane will be via Old Lane to Forest Road to Ockham Road South to the A246 and then right towards Guildford to the A247 Clandon and rejoin the A3 at the A247 Send. 

On Tuesday 3 September from 10pm to 5.30am the M25 J10 Gyratory will be closing in its entirety preventing anyone from leaving the M25 or the A3 to enter the J10 roundabout for carriageway construction works. 

The diversions for this closure will be:

• M25 Travelling Eastbound (towards Gatwick), to continue North or South on the A3.

If you are travelling eastbound on the M25 and want to leave the M25 and join the A3 to travel either north or south, please leave the M25 at Junction 11, follow the A320 towards Woking, then pick up the A245 to Sheerwater, West Byfleet and Byfleet and access the A3 at the Painshill Junction. 

• M25 Travelling Westbound (towards Heathrow), to continue North or South on A3

If you are travelling westbound on the M25 and want to leave the M25 and Join the A3 to travel either north or south, please leave at Junction 9 and follow the A243 towards Malden Rushett and Chessington. At Hook Junction move onto the A309 Kingston Bypass, then onto the A307 towards Esher. At the end of A307 Portsmouth Road pick up the A245 and head towards Painshill Junction and A3.

• A3 Travelling Southbound (towards Guildford), to continue West on M25

If you are travelling southbound on the A3 and want to continue your journey west on the M25, leave the A3 at the Painshill junction and follow the A245 through Byfleet, West Byfleet and Sheerwater towards Woking, pick up the A320 in Woking which will take you to Junction 11 of the M25.  

• A3 Travelling Southbound (towards Guildford), to continue East on M25

If you are travelling southbound on the A3 and want to continue your journey East on the M25, leave the A3 at the Painshill junction and follow the A245 towards Painshill, then pick up the A307 towards Esher and onto the A309 Kingston Bypass up to Hook Junction. At Hook Junction take the A243 towards Hook and Malden Rushett and Join the M25 at Junction 9.   

• A3 Travelling North (towards London), to continue East on M25

If you are travelling northbound on the A3 and want to leave the A3 and join the M25 to travel east, please leave the A3 at Send onto the B2215, follow the A247 through West Clandon and pick up the A246. At Givons Grove roundabout take the A24 Leatherhead Bypass then onto the A243 to join the M25 at Junction 9. 

• A3 Travelling Northbound (towards London), to continue West on M25

If you are travelling Northbound on the A3 and want to continue your journey west on the M25, leave the A3 at the Painshill junction and follow the A245 through Byfleet, West Byfleet and Sheerwater towards Woking, pick up the A320 in Woking which will take you to Junction 11 of the M25.  

B2039 Ockham Road North

Closures continue on the northbound B2039 Ockham Road North. These were reinstated earlier this week and will remain in place until Sunday 29 September for the completion of the utility and carriageway widening works on the approach to the Ockham roundabout. Ockham Road North will be closed in one direction between Guilleshill Lane and the Ockham roundabout 24 hours a day during this time. 

• The diversion will be via Ockham Road North then left to Forest Road then left to Old Lane and then left to the A3 South and then back to Ockham roundabout. 

A3 Southbound Off Slip Lane Reconfiguration 

The lane configuration on the A3 Southbound where drivers exit for Junction 10 M25 was changed from two lanes to one to allow for the carriageway widening of the slip road. This work is expected to last for 8 weeks. Once complete, the slip road will revert back to two lanes.  The left lane will be dedicated to access the M25 anticlockwise towards Gatwick and the right lane will be dedicated to access the Junction 10 M25 Gyratory for all other destinations.

On the approach to this exit, drivers to be prepared to change lanes or allow other vehicles to merge to maintain traffic flows.

• The diversion will be via the A245 towards Cobham and turning left to the A307 towards Esher, at the Scilly Isles roundabout turning right to the A309 Kingston Bypass towards the A3 Hook Junction. 
• At the A3 Hook Roundabout take the 2^nd exit to the A243 towards Chessington and Maldon Rushett. At the M25 J9 motorway traffic can join the M25 in either direction. Non-Motorway traffic will continue along the A24 to the Givons Grove Roundabout taking the 2^nd exit to the A246 towards Guildford. At the Clandon Crossroads turning right to the A247 and rejoining the A3 South at Send. 

Roadworks on the A245 Continue 

To ease the congestion around works on the A245, the A3 northbound off slip at Painshill has been closed. This closure will remain in place until the end of November 2024 whilst we continue with our works in this area.

The closure of the A3 northbound off slip at Painshill helps to improve the eastbound traffic flow along the A245.  To also ease the traffic flow in the area changes have been made to the sequencing of the traffic signals on all sides of the Painshill roundabout to favour the flow eastbound on the A245. Further information on this including answers to your many questions can be found here.

National Highways have announced there will be no more full weekend closures of the M25/A3 this calendar year. The two remaining closures will be next spring. They will give a minimum of four weeks’ notice for these closures so you can plan ahead, and they will avoid busy holiday periods.

https://nationalhighways.co.uk/our-roads/south-east/m25-junction-10/

Photo: courtesy of National Highways

Hard on the heels of finally achieving a 20mph limit in Chalk Lane, your Parish Council’s long running quest to bring about a reduction in The Drift has also been successful. The previous 60 mph limit has now been lowered to 30mph.