I recently had the pleasure to visit St Mary’s Church in Oatlands, along with Cllr Banerjee to meet with Rev’d Olokose and hear of the opportunities and challenges the church community are facing.
It was great to hear of the youth club that has been set up to provide a fun and safe place for children to spend time, meeting people and taking part in games and activities. The Church would love to expand this further, but this of course would require more funds and staffing resource, and the aim is for the club to be freely available to all.
The Church also faces issues around parking. As the church is located opposite a school there are strict parking limits in place, however these also apply at weekends when the school restrictions are no longer needed. I will be supporting Cllr Banerjee in raising these issues to the Council and seeing what support may be available for the expansion of the youth club.
Following the visit I was also able to pop into a number of local shops with Cllr Butler. Smaller shopping areas such as the one in Oatlands often contain hidden gems, and this was no different. From the award winning butchers Maurice Jones and Son, to Wilde Cherry interior designs and the aladdins caves (two of them!) that are the local Hakiemie Rug Gallery and Bocante antiques shop - literally brimming with amazing items. I will definitely be going back for another look!
Unfortunately they too reported issues with parking, especially now Elmbridge council has decided to raise parking charges and issue large numbers of business permits which reduce availability of customer parking. The Council have even introduced parking charges on Sundays for some areas, which will further harm local businesses. I am pleased Elmbridge Conservatives are already campaigning against these measures and will support them in their efforts.
While times remain uncertain for many businesses, I would encourage everyone to shop local where possible so we can support and retain the many fantastic businesses we have across Runnymede and Weybridge.
