Timeline And Background

Timeline and background to the scheme

November 2021: The start of the scheme

• A local county councillor and an established working group reached out to Surrey County Council Placemaking team, highlighting the need for improvements in Cranleigh High Street’s, specifically improvements to accessibility and public realm.

2021: Community insights

• The Cranleigh Parish Council gathered initial feedback from residents about a potential closure in Fountain Square.

November 2021: First discussions

• The team met with the local county councillor in Cranleigh to discuss potential plans for the area.

December 2021: Working together

• The team met with the established Cranleigh Working Group to discuss potential proposal ideas. This meeting helped shape the designs for Fountain Square and Cranleigh High Street.

July 2022: Community engagement begins

• The team visited the High Street and conducted a survey to gather local insight and thoughts on what local people liked about the High Street and what they would like to see improved.

November 2022: Initial public engagement at Cranleigh Library

• The team presented three proposals, which included ideas for Fountain Square, the area in front of the Post Office, and other High Street improvements such as raised sections of the road to help manage high speeds and wider pavements.

January 2023: Engaging with the Youth Council

• A member of the placemaking team met with the Cranleigh Youth Council to gather thoughts and ideas from younger residents.

September 2023: Sharing new designs

• New designs were shared with the Cranleigh Working Party and the Parish Council. The Parish Council shared concerns over the speed tables but showed support for the other aspects of the plans.

November 2023: Youth Council consultation

• The Parish Council shared the new designs with the Youth Council who generally supported the overall plans.

November 2023: Second community engagement at Cranleigh Arts

• The team returned to Cranleigh for a second round of engagement. Feedback showed no major concerns about the Obelisk Junction or Fountain Square, and residents were happy that the Post Office area would not be pedestrianised and that bus laybys would not be moved. There was still significant concern about the removal of the Village Way roundabout and some concern over the removal of the pedestrian islands currently on the High Street. The removal of the Horseshoe Lane roundabout had mixed support.

August 2024: New stakeholder group

• The team met with a newly formed stakeholder group to discuss further engagement with the community. It was agreed that the High Street proposals will now be split into different themes which are presented on these display boards.

Winter 2024: Public Engagement

• Following changes to the proposals based on previous feedback, we are now asking Cranleigh residents whether or not you would like to proceed with the proposed improvements.