Chertsey Town Forum Update

I recently provided an update to the Chertsey Town Forum on my work to support residents and address key concerns. This includes information regarding flooding and the River Thames Scheme, Planning and demands on local infrastructure, Supporting Surrey's Highways, and the Esso Southampton to London Pipeline Project. You can read the full update below:  

 

 

Dear Members of the Chertsey Town Forum,  

I hope you are well and had a successful meeting this past Monday, I am sorry I could not join you but Parliamentary business late into Monday meant I was regrettably unable to attend. I am pleased to provide an update with regards to the issues I have been working on which affect Chertsey and the surrounding area.  

River Thames Scheme  

In December, I submitted my response to the initial non-statutory public consultation by the River Thames Scheme and its leading partners, the Environment Agency and Surrey County Council.   

The floods in 2013/14 were an awful demonstration of the extent of the flood risk that residents and businesses in Runnymede and Weybridge and neighbouring areas face each year, as we are located on one of the largest undefended floodplains in the UK. In response, the Government committed to taking action, and the resulting River Thames Scheme will be the largest and most ambitious infrastructure project Defra has undertaken.  With investment of £500 million from both central Government and Surrey County Council, the River Thames Scheme will help protect our homes, businesses, and communities for generations to come. Getting it built as soon as possible has been among my top priorities over the last three years; working alongside DEFRA and HM Treasury, as well as the Environment Agency, Surrey County Council, our local borough councils and local resident groups to help drive this forwards. The River Thames Scheme has the potential to provide more than just flood defences, it will also improve local infrastructure and green spaces, protect and enhance local biodiversity and provide many jobs during its construction.  

It is absolutely right that every opportunity is taken to receive input from the public when designing these defences, as they in turn will help to shape our communities. I therefore welcome this non-statutory consultation that has afforded local residents their first chance to comment on and shape the scheme and the benefits it can deliver for our communities.  

You can read my comments on the flood alleviation, the importance of getting on with the Development Consent Order (DCO) stage as quickly as legally appropriate, and the associated open access and green space works alongside the scheme in my full consultation response in the PDF link on my website: https://www.drbenspencer.org.uk/news/river-thames-scheme-consultation-response    

Prior to completing my response, I was given a briefing by key members of the RTS project team at Defra’s headquarters in London and shown more details of the mapping, survey and flood alleviation analyses that have been carried out, as well as discussing the timeline to go through the DCO and associated planning applications that are necessary but do take time.   

While a project of this size is understandably complex and will take time to deliver, there is already significant frustration that it is not expected to be completed until fifteen years since the 2014 floods. This timescale must not be delayed further. I would welcome any possibility for looking at ways to ensure the necessarily rigorous process for submission of the DCO and ultimate approval from the Secretary of State for DEFRA is pursued as quickly as appropriate.  

I look forward to the feedback from residents and key local stakeholders that will be provided by this non-statutory consultation and how this can be incorporated into the Scheme’s design and processes. There will be further opportunities for residents to have their say through the statutory consultation processes due to begin next year. I will continue to work with the River Thames Scheme team and its partners to drive forward this incredibly important project and get it in place, working and protecting residents while enhancing our local natural environment. 

Flooding  

You will be aware that tackling flooding and supporting residents at risk of flooding has been a key priority of mine. For the past two years I have been calling for greater communication, clarity and support for residents before, during and after any flooding incident. Despite receiving numerous assurances of the measures in place, residents in Thorpe were recently left 6 days without assistance following sewage flooding, and work was only undertaken to resolve the flooding when I arranged for Thames Water representatives to visit the site with me.  

While this incident occurred in Thorpe, you will know many areas of the constituency are at heightened risk, including Chertsey.  

In September, I returned my response to the Thames Water draft drainage and waste water management plan. As currently drafted the plan implies that the physical work on delivering improvements in Surrey would not begin until 2035 at the earliest, as part of the ‘long term’ phase of planning. While the aims and objectives for the plan are positive, the plan for implementation would appear to mean little or no support for residents of Runnymede and Weybridge for at least the next decade, despite Thames Water's own figures showing we are at by far the greatest risk of sewer flooding already. I have called on Thames Water to clarify how works to mitigate sewer flooding and overflows are prioritised, and provide greater detail of how improvements will be delivered in at least the medium term. Further details outlining this are available in the consultation response, available on my website: https://www.drbenspencer.org.uk/news/press-release-thames-waters-draft-25-year-improvement-plan-risks-letting-down-people-runnymede 

Last year I arranged a meeting with the flooding Minister Rebecca Pow, Thames Water, Surrey County Council, and the Environment Agency to discuss specific incidents of sewage flooding in Chertsey by the River Bourne and how they can be tackled and mitigated, and met with Affinity Water at the local water treatment works and discussed their planned upgrades to the infrastructure alongside the A320 improvement works: https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=pfbid02XKV6udBu7xHhpnpHzDeSfPYCNU4PtZWgmKVs3zvAJ4NDeRcijT6b3mKNLyyXJ8Zhl&id=100063848508047.  

Planning and demands on local infrastructure  

I am campaigning to ensure our planning policy protects our communities and green belt, and that rules are strengthened to ensure swifter action can be taken against rogue developers seeking to subvert the planning system for personal gain.  

The planning process, while complex, shapes the communities we live in. It is therefore essential that national planning policy - the framework which governs planning and development - is robust and strikes the right balance between enabling development we need, and protecting the right of residents, the character of our towns and villages, and our natural environment.  

The Government has committed to reform the planning system and you may be aware that, in preparation for the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill, the Government issued two consultations on planning reform, one regarding changes to the current planning system, and a second putting forward proposals for wider reforms. I submitted my response to both of these consultations. Copies of these are available on the following links:    

https://tinyurl.com/Planningpolicy1   

https://tinyurl.com/Planningpolicy2   

These responses called on the Government to ensure protection for existing communities is built in to our planning policy, especially through protection of our green belt and flood plain, but also through retention of input into design and development. They also reflected concerns over the proposed increase in threshold for the development of affordable housing. I have also raised issues regarding permitted development and change of use rules with Ministerial colleagues in response to concerns raised.   

Planning (Enforcement) Bill 

Last year I also had the opportunity to present my own legislation to parliament, and introduced the Planning (Enforcement) Bill, which sought to address concerns over serious and repeated planning breaches, and the impact these can have on our communities and natural environment. The description of the Bill stated: 

A Bill to create offences relating to repeat breaches of planning controls; to make provision about penalties for planning offences; to establish a national register of persons who have committed planning offences or breached planning controls and make associated provision about planning applications; and for connected purposes. 

While most people adhere to the rules, the minority who persistently commit planning breaches can cause misery to neighbours and communities, and can cause irreparable damage to our Green Belt. Since elected in 2019 I have been made aware of numerous cases where repeated planning breaches have caused significant disruption, anxiety and anger amongst neighbouring residents. The current planning enforcement system is beset by long delays, with complicated and repeat offences often taking many years to resolve. Local authority planning teams are also forced to spend too much time dealing with a handful of cases rather than engaging with residents across the local area. 

It simply should not be possible for individuals or companies to benefit or profit from intentionally flouting planning rules. My Planning (Enforcement) Bill sought to address this by strengthening powers to deal with repeated planning breaches. The Bill aimed to increase the penalties for those who repeatedly and intentionally flout the law, and creating a national register to enable local authorities to identify repeat offenders, in order to end the cycle of endless applications and planning breaches on problem sites, and help protect our residents and our natural environment. 

Further information regarding the Bill is available at www.stoproguedevelopment.com   

The Second Reading debate of the Bill took place on 19th November and showed the strength of feeling, the impact that serious breaches have on our communities and Green Belt, and the need for the measures in the Bill. As one colleague highlighted, there is a clear sense of urgency to ensure this is addressed. 

The full debate is available at https://tinyurl.com/Planningbilldebate (start time 11.03.10). You can also watch my speech proposing the legislation above. 

I am delighted that the Government acknowledged the importance of addressing these issues, and expressed support for bringing in new powers to strengthen the planning enforcement process and for Local Planning Authorities. In his response, the Minister agreed that the issues highlighted are problems we must solve, and noted the level of interest and support the issues had. Following several discussions with Ministers this Bill was withdrawn to enable further work on the provisions, and my aim is to have its aims subsumed into the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill.   

Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill 

Following on from my Private Member's Bill last year, I was delighted that the Government have accepted one of my proposals as part of the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill. This will now create a national planning database so local authorities can share information on planning issues more easily. The Levelling Up Bill is now making its passage through Parliament.  

To build upon the progress made so far, I tabled amendments to the Bill which would add the additional provisions from my PMB. These would increase the penalties for those who repeatedly and intentionally flout the law and allow local authorities take previous planning breaches into account when determining new applications. Listed as New Clauses (NC) 9, 10 and 11, there are available at https://tinyurl.com/LevellingUpBill.  These were withdrawn following being asked to serve as a Government Parliamentary Private Secretary, however I continue to engage with Ministers and work with colleagues to press for these changes to be introduced. I am delighted that following discussion with the relevant Government minister, Lucy Frazer MP, she has agreed to visit Runnymede and Weybridge next year to discuss what more needs to, and can be, introduced to tackle rogue development.  

Housing targets 

I was also pleased to see the Government accept changes to the targets for the planning system, measures for which I have long been calling. These changes will allow councils to determine development priorities based on the needs of their local communities, and taking into account local landscape, including green belt and flood plains. This move away from policy based on an overly-deterministic algorithm will likely have a very positive impact on the challenges faced by councils like Runnymede and Elmbridge while still allowing the Government to tackle the challenges presented by the housing crisis and Britain’s historical low house-building numbers.  

Implementation 

While perhaps a little presumptive, I will also be working on how to ensure these provisions can be quickly and easily implemented once this legislation is passed! 

Demands on local infrastructure  

As a Chertsey resident myself, I know that development places demands on local infrastructure including our GPs, schools, roads, rail, power grid, and the sewage and water system. I have taken up each of these issues over the past three years my work has included:  

  • Regularly meeting with our schools including recent visits to Chertsey High, Pyrcroft Grange, and Lyne and Longcross schools, as well as welcoming a tour of children from St Anne’s to Parliament. I have taken forward many issues from my meetings with teachers, particularly Special Educational Needs issues, and will this week meet with Surrey County Council’s traveller community liaison officers to discuss issues previously raised to me by Chertsey Nursery.  

  • Campaigning on the problems with interchanges between the Runnymede line and the Weybridge train line – please do fill in my survey of rail users: https://www.drbenspencer.org.uk/news/rail-connectivity-runnymede-and-weybridge-survey - and met with the Minister with responsibility for rail this week and discussed the performance of the Runnymede rail loop through Chertsey (including a recent two-week shutdown during the strikes over Christmas), which is not good enough.  

  • Written to South Western Rail to encourage the increase of services from Longcross station as the next phase of the Crest Nicholson development approaches.  

Regarding the regular power failure in St Ann’s, I have taken this up directly with the CEO of UK Power Networks and will be happy to report back to the Forum once I receive a response as to why this is happening.  

Supporting Surrey’s highways 

One of the most important issues to residents of Surrey – which has some of the most frequently used roads in the country – is the state of their roads. The central government funding for repairs to roads is calculated only on length and not usage – meaning commuter areas outside of London like Runnymede and Weybridge will inevitably lose out while longer, less used rural road networks may gain.  

In late 2021, I wrote to the Government to support Surrey County Councillors Rebecca Paul and Paul Deach’s petition for fairer funding for our roads. They wrote, “Thus, Surrey's highway network, which on average can be more than 3 times busier than other roads in the country, receives the same amount of funding in spite of much higher wear and tear. The funding formula would give a much fairer result if traffic volume was taken into account when allocating funding.”  

I continue to support and push for fairer funding for Surrey’s roads at a national Government level.  

This week I also spoke with the cabinet member for highways at SCC, Kevin Deanus, to discuss the battering our roads have taken during the recent cold snaps. If you know of a road that is particularly problematic and in need of attention, please do get in touch with me as well as your Surrey County Councillor Mark Nuti and we will work together to raise these.  

Throughout my time as your MP, I have worked with Surrey County Council, local residents groups and individuals to both champion the need for the A320 improvement works and address concerns that constituents have had with individual elements of the planning applications. As a result of my interventions, elements were changed upon the consideration of concerns and ideas from local residents.  

Both alongside the A320 and throughout Runnymede and Weybridge, Active Travel is a key consideration and I was delighted that in 2020, Surrey was allocated over £7.2 million in total from the Government’s Active Travel Fund. I’m delighted residents will benefit from this opportunity to make our local area more bike and pedestrian-friendly, while maintaining the access and space other road users still need. 

Finally, I am very concerned about the London Mayor Sadiq Khan’s ill-conceived plans for extending to Ultra-Low Emissions Zone (ULEZ) to the Surrey border, and the difficulties this will create for many residents who need to drive into nearby parts of London. ULEZ expansion will add further costs for residents and businesses when budgets are already under pressure, disproportionately impact those on lower incomes, including key workers required to commute to London, and all with no evidence that it will deliver improved air quality in outer London boroughs, and a risk of worsening the situation on Surrey roads.    

Residents across Runnymede and Weybridge should not have to pay this London tax to prop up Sadiq Khan's failing administration. You can watch my recent speech on this in Parliament: https://www.drbenspencer.org.uk/news/ultra-low-emission-zone-expansion-debate  

Esso Southampton to London Pipeline Project  

For the past six months I have been working closely with the residents of Canford Drive on the Addlestone/Chertsey border regarding the significant works that have taken place in the road. I have not been impressed with the manner in which Esso have conducted these works and their blasé attitude towards the disruption that so many have faced, but their communications with residents have at least improved over this period. I continue to take matters forward for the residents affected by the ongoing works, scheduled to finish this month.  

As many will know, the project is now due to move on to Chertsey Meads, where the Open cut installation and trenchless crossing installation under the River Thames (TC034) are currently paused. Esso have said they will announce the date for the resumption of works later this month.  

The majority of the Meads remains open for visitors to enjoy and once works are complete, they will reinstate the full area. Specific updates about the Meads can be seen here: www.slpproject.co.uk/chertsey-meads-sang/. Please do get in touch with me if there is an issue to do with the pipeline that you would like me to take forward, or if you need to contact the pipeline project directly, they are at [email protected].  

To keep up with the latest news on my work on these matters and more, please visit my website at https://www.drbenspencer.org.uk and sign up to my newsletter at www.runnymedeandweybridgenews.com.  

Finally, I’d like to give a huge thanks to everyone involved in the Chertsey Goose Fair, which as always was one of the highlights of the Christmas period, and I look forward to seeing you at a future meeting of the Town Forum, and around and about Chertsey during the course of my work!  

 

 

Third Party Intermediaries in Energy Markets Consultation Response

I was pleased to respond to the Government’s consultation on the regulation of third party intermediaries in the energy retail market this week.This consultation focused primarily on the regulation of market actors such as energy brokers and price comparison websites.