Update from Graham O'Connell:

It has been some time since I last updated you but at last we have something meaningful to say.

Firstly, Skanska have confirmed in writing that they would like to go ahead with the improved roundabouts option for Frimley Green rather than the original 4-way traffic lights scheme. The Borough council have indicated that if Surrey County Council Highways are content then so are they. This is all good news if a little slow in coming.

Over a year ago we were promised a public meeting and we have been keen to ensure that still happens. This is to allow you to see the plans, ask questions, feed in comments and, if you are happy with all that, to cast your vote for roundabouts rather than traffic lights.

To that end we have two types of meetings, both on Wednesday 25th March 2020.

The first will be a walk-in surgery event at the Frimley Green Methodist Church Hall - ‘The Church on the Green’ - 8 The Green, Frimley Green, Camberley GU16 6HF. We will be there from 2pm to 6pm. If you can do pop along as that will be a good opportunity to peruse the plans in your own time, chat and offer more detailed comments if you wish. Any specific comments we will make a note of and will do our best to take into consideration in the final, most detailed design phase.

The second meeting will be an online meeting from 7pm to 7:45pm also on Wednesday 25th March. You can log in from home, you will be able to see the plans on screen, you can contribute or simply listen to what is said. Thanks must go to Councillor Paul Deach for helping to push things along and for offering to host this online meeting. I will send you log in details nearer the time but for the moment I thought you might want to get the date in your diary.

There will be some council representation at the online meeting not just to put their view but I hope to hear yours too. But most importantly there will be a very simple questionnaire asking whether, based on what you have heard, you would prefer the traffic lights or the improved roundabouts.

As long as there is strong support and a clear majority for improving the roundabouts, the next stage will be for Skanska to draft what is called a ‘Deed of Variation’ to the existing S106 agreement, which is the commitment to improve the junction. This goes to the Planning Committee (a bit like a planning application does) where again anyone can formally support or object if they wish.

That is not the final part though, there will also be a Common Land application to do works on the green. But lI’ll go into that more when we get to that point.

I do hope you can attend one of the meetings but if not I will circulate the questionnaire and you can comment then.

You can see a draft of the proposed alternate scheme here (pdf file) and more on the STOP or GO Four Way Traffic Lights site on Facebook, a comprehensive guide to this issue set up by Cliff Hilton.