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Businesses sceptical over high street plans

Julia Gregory/BBC Cranleigh high street Julia Gregory/BBC
Surrey County Council has halted its original plans after campaigns from locals and business owners

Business owners in a Surrey village have said they are still sceptical about a "ridiculous" high street improvement project and fear it will "cut off trade".

Surrey County Council (SCC) put forward a scheme to make Cranleigh “safer and more attractive”.

The plans, which include pedestrianising Fountain Square, removing free parking and introducing raised traffic tables, were halted after a group launched a petition against them.

SCC said it would continue to work with residents and businesses on the plans to "create a welcoming environment that supports the local economy".

With around £4m funding, SCC put forward plans to improve road safety on the high street and enhance green spaces, the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) reported.

More than 1,100 people signed the petition to halt the proposals.

LDRS Curtis outside Celebration Cakes in CranleighLDRS
Celebration Cakes manager Curtis said the scheme was "obscenely expensive"

Curtis, 21, manager at Celebration Cakes, said the project would take "a lot of money away from the high street" and was an "obscenely expensive… waste of money".

He said: "What does a raised [table] do for any business? Cars cannot go fast anyway because of all the traffic."

LDRS Fishmonger Steve Duffell inside Cranleigh Fish shopLDRS
Fishmonger Steve Duffell said he wanted to keep free parking

Fishmonger Steve Duffell, 48, said the project could massively inconvenience the high street with people not driving through Cranleigh.

He said he wanted to see free car parking, to increase footfall and help shop deliveries.

“I’m just a selfish shop owner,” he added cheekily, “but I would want free car parking outside my shop”.

'Welcoming'

An SCC spokesperson said: "Over the last two years, we have involved a working group, held two periods of public engagement and received further feedback from the community."

The council said it was aiming to create a "welcoming environment that supports the local economy by encouraging people to stay longer in the village centre".

It said it would ensure work was efficient and would allow "businesses to remain open at all times".

The council said a group would meet on 30 May to develop the plans.

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