COBHAM, DOWNSIDE, OXSHOTT AND STOKE D’ABERNON TOWN APPRAISAL ‘SNAPSHOT’
In early 2007 a group of like-minded residents of Cobham, Downside, Oxshott and Stoke D’Abernon in Surrey decided to form a partnership to appraise the quality of life in their area – with the objective of identifying what was good and should be preserved and what was not so good and should be improved. The methodology to be followed was that of the ‘Market Town Healthcheck’, laid down by the Countryside Agency in 2001. This consists of:
- A snapshot summarising noteworthy aspects of the present position
- The completion of worksheets collecting more detailed information in four categories the completion of worksheets collecting more detailed information in four categories – Social and Community, Economy, Environment and Transport and Accessibility
- A report drawing this information together; and
- A plan of proposed actions emerging from this report, designed to achieve the objective as stated above.
The group of residents, all volunteers, were established as a Steering Committee for the project and they subsequently appointed a paid Project Coordinator. Details of the Committee and Project Coordinator can be found on the About Us page. Support for the project, both financial and in kind, was generously provided by a variety of organisations and individuals, listed on the Supporting Organisations page. The Committee agreed a project brand name, envisage, and logo – see above.
Work on the snapshot produced much useful information which, the Committee agreed, needed further analysis. It was decided that this detail should be passed on to the worksheet completion phase of the project where it could be re-examined, cross-checked and embellished using a wider range of sources. It was always the Steering Committee’s intention to consult the project area’s population as widely as possible before coming to any conclusions or offering suggestions as to where greater attention might be focussed. It was agreed therefore that the snapshot should be confined to a general statement of the present situation under each of the four categories, to provide a starting point for the project but to avoid in any way prejudging the outcome.
The four category Group Leaders’ initial comments for this snapshot are as follows.
SOCIAL AND COMMUNITY
The population of the envisage survey area was slightly over 17,000 in 2001. Since 2001 the Elmbridge population has increased by 7%, suggesting that the population in our district is increasing as new properties are built. The level of deprivation overall in the survey area is comparatively low. However, it is likely that a more detailed survey would throw up pockets of deprivation in each of the four survey categories.
2001 Census figures show that approximately 17% of the population is aged over 60 and 23% are children. Figures from St Andrew’s School, Cobham indicate that mobility rates (families moving in and out of the area) are higher than the Surrey and national averages.
Of the total number of households, around 75% are privately owned and 12% are Housing Association/Local Authority rented. A quarter of all households are single person with 14% being elderly people living alone. There is a long waiting list for social rented housing with around 2,000 people registered and 400 joining the list annually. This in part may be related to the very high cost of purchasing a home locally with a detached family home costing on average nearly £1 million. A two bedroom flat costs around £300,000. These price levels put the cost of housing beyond the reach of many people, especially young people and families with children.
The predominately residential nature of the survey area and the relatively short distance to larger towns means that the area does not have facilities such as a court, registry office, main police station, town hall, state secondary school, sixth form or FE college, leisure centre, or full service hospital. Residents need to travel by car or public transport to gain access to such facilities.
The area has a very significant number of private schools at both primary and secondary levels but the state school provision is modest with only one infant school and two primary schools. Many children of all ages travel outside the area for state education while many children outside the area travel in for private education, often by car, contributing to traffic problems (see below). The area has some child-care facilities, and there are several pre-school places in state and private schools.
The Adult Education facility has just been closed.
Services for the elderly include a Day Centre in Cobham, which also provides a Help Shop and Citizens Advice Bureau. The Centre will shortly also be the base for a Children’s Centre providing access and advice on childcare and pre-school services.
Cobham has an ambulance station and a fire station. There are health centres at Cobham and Oxshott and Cobham Hospital provides a number of outpatient services but no bed spaces. National Health and private dentists are available.
There are no public leisure, swimming or fitness facilities in the survey area and outdoor sports facilities are privately owned.
There are active churches of a number of denominations in the survey area.
There is a public library in Cobham and a Surrey County Council Youth Club catering mainly for older teenagers. The survey area does not have a museum, theatre or art gallery. There are village halls and other halls available for public hire in all four communities in the survey area.
ECONOMY
The envisage survey area is largely residential, with an attractive Town Centre in Cobham offering a comprehensive mix of quality independent and multiple shops and services. Commercial rents in the High Street are expensive, and this has led to increasing pressure on independent retailers who are gradually being replaced by multiples and more Estate Agents, much to the dislike of many of the local population. There is vacant office space in the area, but retail space is at a premium and seldom vacant.
The areas of Oxshott and Stoke D’Abernon have their own small high-quality range of shops. There are a few large employers, including Berkeley Homes, Cargills, Coopers, Mundays, Sainsburys and Waitrose, but in addition to businesses with registered premises in the area it is believed that there is a high proportion of the population running small businesses from home. The area has a few farms, riding stables and garden centres as well as a good range of restaurants and coffee shops. There are several options for visitors to stay in hotels and some bed and breakfast accommodation.
More than a quarter of the population have post-school qualifications and many people travel to London and elsewhere, preferring to commute as the survey area is regarded as a highly desirable place to live. The high cost of housing makes it difficult to recruit staff in some businesses, particularly as unemployment is low, and in lower-paid jobs the high cost of travel and parking is a further deterrent.
The area is not well served by government support services, although such services as Business Link, Job Centres, etc., are available nearby. Cobham Chamber of Commerce needs more support. There is a library which offers public internet access and the area supports broadband.
All further education and adult training opportunities are outside the area unless undertaken within local businesses as part of their staff learning and skills development.
ENVIRONMENT
The underlying environment of the envisage survey area is one of lowland heath and the river system of the Mole. All has been modified by the activity of man in terms of farming, forestry, settlement and communication systems, mainly road and rail.
Man’s activity now, of course, dominates the landscape and the pressures to increase the built environment, particularly in terms of residential development and such as the proposal to place a service area for the M25 at Downside, are of common concern.
The built environment contains some 750 buildings that are listed/ancient monuments. There is relatively little factory or office development within the area. Non-residential building mainly provides services to the community such as shops and garages, as well as for public services such as churches, education, fire, ambulance and railway stations.
Communication links also accentuate the definition and limitation of the area. The A3 trunk road is to the North and the M25 to the South; these then cross to the West. The railway runs North East, South West and with Oxshott and Little Heaths separates Oxshott from the other centres. The noise pollution effect of these important communication elements is difficult to avoid.
Throughout the survey area there are significant amounts of green space, some of which is protected and of international importance, for example Painshill Park, Downside Common and the Elmbridge Commons and Oxshott Heath, an SSSI. These, together with recreation grounds, forested areas and other common land, provide attractive and useful areas for leisure activity.
Access through the area and to the green space from all parts is easy, there being numerous footpaths and bridleways in addition to the road network.
TRANSPORT AND ACCESSIBILITY
Transport issues within the envisage area raise a wide range of questions, from bus and train services to more contentious concerns such as car parking and congestion. Traffic density is a major problem.
The two railway stations of Cobham/Stoke D’Abernon and Oxshott are both areas of high traffic density at peak times of the day. The many schools in the area also create heavy traffic and congestion at the start and end of the school day. A vibrant and successful High Street in Cobham is highly valued, but congestion is frequently a problem, both at peak rush hours and at other less predictable times for diverse reasons, for example deliveries to local businesses and diversions from the M25. There is a vigorous debate about car parking: should local residents be charged and if so are we creating other problems as drivers seek out alternative places to park which are free of charge? In Cobham, Stoke D’Abernon and Oxshott car park charges apply both in the Council-owned car parks and those attached to the two railway stations. Privately owned car parks such as those belonging to the supermarkets are free, although some impose a time limit.
Traffic is often further exacerbated by breakdowns/closures on the M25 causing the traffic to bypass the motorway via Cobham Town Centre and Oxshott, thus making it difficult for local residents to gain access to local shops and services. Since all the (state) secondary schools and technical colleges servicing the area are outside it, travel demands are high. However the area is not well supported by public transport, other than to London Waterloo via Oxshott Station (34mins) or Cobham and Stoke D’Abernon Station (38min). Although both rail and bus services operate within the area, it is not clear that they in any way complement each other. The question of mobility for those who find it difficult to get about and gain access within the survey area needs to be taken into account in any transport policy.
There are new issues on the horizon: the ever increasing density of housing with its inherent effects on transport and congestion and the arrival of the new M25 Service Area are just two. Whether one’s mode of transport is by foot, bicycle, horse, car, bus, train or commercial vehicle, there is a view to be heard as to what provision there is and the aim of this section of the envisage survey is to bring together those views and try to identify some possible solutions.
CONCLUSION
Even from the initial research that has been carried out it is clear that there are many unresolved issues which are important to the communities within the envisage survey area. Collecting more detailed data about these, and seeking the views of as many members of these communities as possible, will be time-consuming. But the Steering Committee are convinced that this effort will be well worth while. They have been much encouraged by the commitment shown by the increasing numbers of volunteers who are coming forward to help.
The validity of the project’s central objective has never been in doubt: we intend to draw up a realistic action plan setting out the proposed beneficial measures which we will seek to implement. But the process of working towards that objective is already bringing its own benefits in terms of community building and cooperation amongst all those involved. As momentum develops and those numbers grow envisage can be confident of making a significant contribution to the lives of all who live and work in this area.
November 2007