It is of great concern that our local Windmill is in a very poor condition and without urgent maintenance could deteriorate beyond repair.  

 

The Tadworth & Walton Residents Association (TWRA) has brought this to the attention of the Reigate & Banstead Council and basic repairs will be carried out to prevent further weakening of the structure.  

 

Our Windmill is a historic building and the logo of Tadworth School, the Cricket Club and the History Society.  
 

It would be tragic if we lost this landmark – we have to act to preserve our heritage.

Proposal to close the
Post Office at Shelvers Hill 

This would be extremely detrimental to those who live in the immediate area but also the residents of the Preston area (40% of whom do not own cars). 

Our MP Crispin Blunt is working hard to stop this happening but we need as many objection letters as possible.

Please take the time to write an objection letter and forward to your friends and neighbours. 

The consultation ends on the 8th July and if the proposal is approved the Post Office will be closed by the end of August!!

 

HERE is a sample letter to amend or add to and send.  The address is FREEPOST as in the letter so you will not need a stamp.

 

Here are the reasons for keeping the Post Office:

 

· This Post Office is a successful and viable business and has therefore is only under consultation to meet government targets; the proposal has nothing to do with local needs.

 

· Shelvers Hill branch provides a service for a large proportion of the Preston area, one of the most deprived communities in the South East.  The community is isolated and this is exacerbated by the low ownership of cars (approximately 40% of residents do not own a car).

 

· The area is characterised by a higher than average proportion of elderly, disabled, those suffering from long term illness and young families on low incomes.  The bus services are infrequent and both difficult for the elderly and disabled and expensive for those with young children.  

 

· Parking and access to both the nearest Post Office branches at One Stop in Cross Road and at Tattenham corner are limited and both areas suffer from congestion.

 

· The closure of local Post Offices does not make sense when the government is actively encouraging people not to use cars.  Together with the high price of petrol once again the most vulnerable in our society are being penalised.

 

· The viability of the Shelvers Hill shops depends on the trade attracted by the Post Office.  This is a much needed community of shops and these will be threatened by the closure of the Post Office, as had been seen in many other local communities.

 

· With the regeneration of the Preston area and the addition of 350 new homes this small area of shops will become even more valuable to the local residents.

 

 

 

 

WHAT ELSE ARE WE DOING?

Our issues have again been covered live on Southern Counties Radio breakfast show and there were articles in the Surrey Mirror and the local Guardian newspapers.  

After the Cross Road  public Inquiry STAG and the TWRA again met with Cllr Dr Lynn Hack, the Leader of the Council together local Cllr Michael Buttery and representatives of the Planning Department. The purpose of the meeting was to explore ways to defend our village against inappropriate development.  Our local councillors are very supportive of our efforts but the meeting highlighted the current weaknesses of the local planning policies.  There is a good deal of effort going in to update these policies but in the meantime we have to find ways to prevent our vibrant community from harmful developments.
 

Updated 1st July, 2008

The Tadworth area remains a major target for land buyers and developers.

 

Do you want to influence the future of your village?
If you hear about any possible  flat developments contact us on stag@hemsworthy.com