November 2024

We are still in contact with multiple parties to move this effort forward. 

Please refer to our call to action here:

Please help us further the effort for positive change with our Parking

In 2022, the CSRA spearheaded a significant petition to Surrey County Council (SCC) to address our community’s chronic parking issues. The proposals in this petition included:

Extending permit parking hours 24/7 or later into the evening to manage parking availability better.

Eliminating the pay-and-display option for public parking, directing visitors to newly designated parking areas and reducing local congestion.Prioritising parking considerations within the Farnham Infrastructure Plan (FIP) to ensure a sustainable solution for residents.

Despite our concerted efforts and measured approach, SCC and Farnham Town Council (FTC) dismissed our requests. Our carefully articulated accompanying letter—crafted with CSRA’s assistance—was branded as “demanding” by some council members, an accusation that seems more like an attempt to downplay and disregard the legitimate concerns of our residents. Alarmingly, some FTC representatives claimed that resolving parking issues was “insurmountable,” implying it wasn’t worth the effort.

The petition’s exclusion from the 2022 parking review bypassed the formal procedures and checks usually required, effectively removing a vital mechanism for accountability. The matter was instead handed over to the FIP team, who promised to integrate parking into their plan—a promise that, as recent developments show, has not been kept. Now, SCC and FTC indicate that parking considerations will be deferred until after the FIP’s completion, further sidelining an issue that has been neglected for over two years.

At a recent FIP Board Meeting, councillors were given a clear opportunity to champion our cause by raising concerns about specific parking proposals. While assurances were made that this would be done, it ultimately never happened. Only after it was too late did a follow-up email surface, requesting changes the FIP team predictably ignored, citing finalised plans. This leaves us questioning why no action was taken after the consultation’s closure in January of this year—a question we, too, have asked without satisfactory answers.

While there has been some recent advocacy within the council for this issue, we face the possibility that it is too little or too late. We need immediate and widespread action from our members to prevent our voices from being overlooked again. We urge you to contact your local MP, the mayor, and ward councillors (contact details below) to stress that parking must be prioritised before it is too late.

Our association has fought tirelessly on your behalf, but we’re reaching the limits of what we can achieve alone. 

Now, it is up to all of you to show the council that this issue cannot be ignored any longer. Your participation could be the decisive factor that ensures our voices are heard.

This is our last chance—let’s not let it slip away.

Contact: Gregory Stafford MP , Alan Earwaker , Tim Oliver OBE

May 2024

The FIP team has released their decision report and assets following the consultation. These are linked here. 

We are working with the various teams to give you the best update coming shortly.

September 2023

Conversations with Rt Hon Jeremy Hunt MP have lead us to new discussions with Tom Horwood at Waverley, and Ian Reynolds, Parking Enforcement Team Leader at Surrey Highways & Transport.

July 2023

Following the petition being brought forward at a FIP consultation meeting, we were contacted to discuss and ensure understanding of the ask. 

We had a meeting with George Hesse and Andy Macleod to determine the next steps and ensure that the petition was correctly understood. The petition accompanying documents were resent directly to ensure clarity.

The effort to have progress on this is being lead by Andy Macleod at Surrey County Council.

February 2023

Following submission, the consideration passed the first stage. 

This is where checks are done against what is being asked for to ensure that it has not been asked for before and formally declined in previous considerations. 

The submitters were cautious to ensure the ask was not a repetition and, more so, was a concise ask of the minimum viable amount that would give the members a better outcome. 

Following the review early in 2023, the petition considerations have been moved to the FIP team and integrated into their ongoing consultation. 
 

We are actively chasing this to get an update on the outcomes. 
 

Further, we have contacted various council parties to understand what hoops need jumping through for other parking improvements, such as allowing Zone A residents to park in a selection of bays in the nearby surrounding car parks to mitigate the displacement issues in the Zones. 

November 2022

Following the formation of the new committee, one of the first issues some of the committee had already engaged in was parking. 

It is widely accepted that parking is a problem, which has been an active topic in the AGM for many years. 

It was decided if there was to be changes, the petition would ensure it followed the processes set out by the council. Each cycle, anyone can submit issues related to Parking, Permits, Zones etc. Consideration requires that you represent a large enough body of evidence and majority, such as a petition.

This needed to get submitted by November! 
 

Around 70+ of the CSRA members were happy to support and sign this petition within only two weeks which was successfully submitted for consideration.

Were there more time, the submission would likely have garnered more signatures than possible in just those two weeks.