Tag Archives: Lightwater

Attending the Esso jet fuel pipeline consultation

Last Friday I visited the consultation on the preferred route of Southampton to London Pipeline Project for residents in Deepcut and Lightwater at Heatherside Community Centre.

I’m supportive of the project, and recognise that there are necessary changes to the pipeline route from the existing due to changes through, housing, road development, and what could be called urban progress.

I was keen to highlight my concerns about the projected route near Red Road and Folly Bog in Lightwater. I learned that the work in 2016 on the pipeline in Folly Bog was caused by issue relating to the pipeline being in water. The repair work was to reline the exterior of the pipeline in a protective coating, not to replace it, as I irrationally thought.

In my view, and I’ll be writing my suggestions to the consultation, makes too much of an effort to avoid Folly Bog, and the projected preferred route is too close to Rec Road, and the housing around The Folly. My suggestion is to stick to the track alongside the ranges, positioning the pipeline further away from Red Road. There’s plenty of room for this diversion, while also maintaining the high ground that the engineers prefer.

Here’s the map, downloaded from the SLPProject website. Notice that the existing pipeline is in dark blue, and the preferred route is the broken line, again in blue.

Don’t forget: Esso jet fuel pipeline consultation day today

Here’s a reminder that today is the consultation on the preferred route of Southampton to London Pipeline Project for residents in Deepcut and Lightwater [click on image to expand]. The local consultation events are at,

  • 28 September, 14:00-20:00: Deepcut and Lightwater, Heatherside Community Centre, Martindale Avenue, GU15 1BB
  • 29 September, 11:00-17:00: Chobham, Chobham Parish Pavilion, Recreation Ground, Station Road, Chobham, GU24 8AJ
  • 3 October, 14:00-20:00: Frimley, Lakeside Continental Hotel, Wharf Road, GU16 6JR
  • 10 October, 14:00-20:00: Farnborough, Farnborough Exhibition and Conference Centre, ETPS Road, GU14 6FD

All the consultation events, route options, and feedback forms, are contained in the Replacement Pipeline Route Consultation Brochure. [see below – to expand, click on upward facing arrow at bottom right]. There are other public documents to be found HERE, including detailed maps containing a wealth of information.

Objecting to a planning application: Mobile Telephone Masts

Alerted to a planning application from Vodafone & Telefonica [O2] for the erection of a mobile telephone mast near the Briars Community Centre in Lightwater, I’ve studied the application, which you can do too, HERE.

A local parish and borough councillor is organising objections to the application. I appreciate why Cllr Katia Malcaus Cooper is doing so. She’s both a Trustee and Chair of the Briars Community Centre, and naturally is protective of the Centre, which describes itself as,

Lightwater is a lovely village in the South East of England with good transport links. Our location is quiet and we have a large outdoors recreation area and are highly affordable for any event you are planning.

Over the years the centre has had numerous improvements, all down to an active management committee. So, yes, I fully understand the desire not to have infrastructure so close to the centre.

I’m ambivalent about the application, seeing the siting of the mast as inconsiderate to the centre, but am generally supportive of having a mast. Why, well, where we live we’ve been in a significant not spot for many years. Also, mobile phone coverage has for a long time been very poor, often connections have dropped, and getting a signal has sometimes not been possible. The mobile signal has improved in the last year or so, still not great, I think maybe because of mast upgrades elsewhere in Lightwater. I  see a much improved phone signal at where I live with this mast.

There are extensive supporting documents for the planning application from the agents for Vodafone and O2, and I’ve read most of them. I can see why they want to place the mast where they want to, as it provides the best mobile signal coverage to the largest number of properties. I hadn’t quite realised how much trees degrade a phone signal, and so the siting recommendation looks to minimise their effect.

The mast and associated cabinets are too close to the road, and will certainly be an eyesore in that location. My recommendation is to move the mast siting further away from the centre, nearer to the Briar Avenue / Broom Field island. The mast and cabinets could easily be placed behind the pavement in the grassy area near when the dog poo bin is located. I know it’s not moving the mast that far, but I consider it’ll be visually less impinging on nearby homes and the Briar Centre.

Below are the map of the proposed location, a plan view of it’s exact location, the objection notice, and my photo of an alternative location. Click on images to expand.

Former Collingwood student to play title role in Camberley Theatre’s pantomime

Surrey Heath Borough Council and Camberley Theatre announce that,

This year Camberley Theatre will present a brand new adaptation of the classic fairy-tale, Sleeping Beauty.  Following 2017’s Peter Pan which received glowing reviews and became the theatre’s most successful pantomime ever; it hopes to make this year’s pantomime even bigger and better than ever!

The theatre is very pleased to announce that Louise Young will play Princess Aurora.  Louise grew up in Lightwater and went to Collingwood College secondary school and sixth form. She was inspired to become an actress by her drama teacher Mrs Roberts and went on to train at The Royal Central School of Speech and Drama.

Louise said “Having grown up in Lightwater, Camberley has always held a special place in my heart. After four years of working in London, I’m so excited to bring the Christmas spirit home.”

Letitia Hector, Chanai Ankrah and Monique Ashe-Palmer will play the super soulful fairies Here, There and Everywhere. They’ve got attitude, sass and incredible vocals!

Every pantomime needs a dame! Nick Wymer will make his debut at Camberley Theatre as the warm, witty and wonderful Nanny Nee Naw. Nanny Nee Naw carries a torch for the majestic King Cedric who will be played by Alan Mitchell.

Melanie Stevens will take on the role of Carabosse, the most evil fairy of them all. Carabosse has cursed Princess Aurora meaning on her eighteenth birthday she will prick her finger on a spinning wheel and be lost forever in a deep sleep.

The lovable palace jester Muddles will be played by Ewan Goddard. He is truly, madly deeply in love with Princess Aurora but will he tell her? Steve Banks will play the dashing and handsome Prince Florizel who will do everything he can to try and save Princess Aurora.

Producer and Theatre Manager Andy Edmeads said “Following the success of Peter Pan, we are hugely excited to bring this magical and enchanting pantomime to life this Christmas. Expect energetic choreography, singalong songs, laugh out loud jokes and a plenty of audience interaction!”

Will Prince Florizel find his way through the enchanted forest? Will Princess Aurora ever wake up? You’ll have to come along to find out!

Join all the cast on a magical adventure full of fun, laughs and audience interaction.  This brand new pantomime is not to be missed.  Sleeping Beauty runs from 10-31 December 2018 and tickets can be purchased in person, online at www.camberleytheatre.co.uk or by calling the Box Office on 01276 707600.

Consultation on preferred route of Esso jet fuel pipeline

It’s certainly a lengthy consultation on the route of Southampton to London Pipeline Project. Earlier this year the Project began consulting on possible pipeline routes. At the end of May they announced the preferred route, and now they’re beginning consultation on the preferred route options [click on image to expand].

Among the consultation events, are these local locations,

  • 28 September, 14:00-20:00: Deepcut and Lightwater, Heatherside Community Centre, Martindale Avenue, GU15 1BB
  • 29 September, 11:00-17:00: Chobham, Chobham Parish Pavilion, Recreation Ground, Station Road, Chobham, GU24 8AJ
  • 3 October, 14:00-20:00: Frimley, Lakeside Continental Hotel, Wharf Road, GU16 6JR
  • 10 October, 14:00-20:00: Farnborough, Farnborough Exhibition and Conference Centre, ETPS Road, GU14 6FD

All the consultation events, route options, and feedback forms, are contained in the Replacement Pipeline Route Consultation Brochure. [see below – to expand, click on upward facing arrow at bottom right]. There are other public documents to be found HERE, including detailed maps containing a wealth of information.

 

Tree of the week No.2: The attractive Atlas cedar

We’ve numerous interesting trees near us, which were planted many years ago when the land was part of several large houses along Red Road – Moorlands, Heather Wells, Lightwater Lodge, Lightwater Grange, and Paddock Wood. Their owners planted interesting trees, many, at the time, new to cultivation in the UK. This means I don’t have to go far to find unusual trees for subjects of my tree of the week series.

So, here’s another evergreen conifer tree as this week’s subject. It’s the Atlas cedar – Cedrus atlantica. A native of the Atlas mountains of Algeria and Morocco, it was introduced here in 1841. It likes sandy soils. It prefers hotter, drier conditions that most conifers. There are likely to be fewer Atlas cedars than cedars of Lebanon, which were grown more than two centuries ago.

A ‘blue cedar’ – Cedrus atlantica ‘Glauca’, while much more popular in cultivation in the UK, occurs sporadically in the wild, such that information sources and notable examples is not easily found.

Identification:

  • A tall pyramidical evergreen conifer tree, growing to 36m [120 ft] in the UK.
  • Has a wide spread of horizontal to rising branches.
  • The needle-like leaves are dark green, growing singly on the current year’s shoot, and in rosettes on the previous year’s shoot.
  • The cone is distinctive; it stands upwards, and is like a wasp’s nest, with a sunken top.
  • The bark is dark grey, with narrow fissures.
  • The male flowers are slug-shaped catkins, appearing in the autumn.
  • The small green female flowers appear in the autumn.

Notable specimens in UK

  • Atlas cedar in Exwick cemetery in Exeter,
  • Eastnor Castle, Ledbury, Herefordshire
  • Lindridge Park, Newton Abbot, Devon
  • Heanton Satchville, Great Torrington, Devon

Images of Atlas cedar in Ivy Drive, Lightwater, Surrey

  1. Mature tree
  2. Needles
  3. Narrow fissured dark grey bark
  4. Branches with erect cones
  5. Close up of barrel-like erect cones

Further information sources:

Lightwater traveller incursion over, their rubbish remains

the Traveller incursion onto the Lightwater Playing Field, behind All Saints’Church in Lightwater is over. The Traveller’s  have moved on, but have left rubbish behind, as can be seen in the photos. There’s not as much rubbish as I’d anticipated, though I didn’t check all the field boundaries.

There’s a new lock on the gate to the field. The lock is insubstantial, with an open hasp, and so I’d recommend protection around the lock. Be interesting to know when the barrier to the Briars Community Centre is considered safe to remove.