Last night’s meeting with residents of the Woodbridge Hill area of Westborough that Cllr James Steel and I attended can only be described as “lively”. The meeting was originally arranged to talk about parking but it soon became clear that was only a symptom of a number of other problems.

They want the parking issues sorted out but want to have a look at a range of options before coming to any decisions on what would work best for them. I have been asked to talk to parking officials at Guildford Borough Council to find out what choices are available and to report back to the community.

One subject that came up quite often is that of the impact of the University of Surrey on the area. Residents know that not all houses in multiple occupation are student homes, many are shared by young professionals who can’t afford to buy at current prices in Guildford. However, it does mean that there are far more vehicles taking up available road parking spaces. Added to that is the fact that a lot of people leave their cars parked in the residential roads and then cut through the footpath to the University. They don’t live in the area but add to the problem. Local people wanted to know why the University does not require students to leave their cars at home when they come to Guildford or buy additional parking on campus to meet their own needs.

The number of houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) is changing the character of the area and means there is a shortage of suitable homes for families. The constant changes in people living in the HMOs has an impact on the community. Many residents talked about the difficulty in setting up local celebrations such as the Jubilee and talked about regular community events that have now lapsed. We talked about a possible Article 4 Direction such as that in some wards in other University towns. There are links here to those in York https://www.york.gov.uk/private-landlords-tenants/article-4-direction-relation-houses-multiple-occupation-hmo and Sheffield https://www.sheffield.gov.uk/content/dam/sheffield/docs/planning-and-development/planning-applications/Article%204%20Direction%20Report.pdf The council report on the Sheffield Direction makes interesting reading. Residents are considering setting up a petition on the Guildford Borough Council website asking for a similar Directive to be considered for the wards close to the University of Surrey. It would need support and signatures from other wards in the borough if they are to get the 500 signatures needed to force a debate at a full council meeting.

Believing that by working together they would have more influence on decision-makers at all levels, the residents are looking at setting up a formal Residents Association to give themselves a louder voice.

James and I came away with a better understanding of the difficulties people in the area are having to deal with. We will now work with them to try to find solutions that can make life better for them.

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