Guildford Borough Council (GBC) has written to many Ash residents impacted by the newly proposed parking controls for Ash. The letter asks residents to take part in a consultation that seeks to reduce or limit the amount of available on-street parking to residents. Residents must make their views known before Friday 9th September by completing the Guildford On-Street Parking Review Survey (smartsurvey.co.uk). If the proposals are unchallenged, they are expected to be implemented by mid-late 2022.
Why are these controls being proposed?
As part of the Guildford Parking strategy, a Parking review is conducted every 18 months. A report is presented with the recommended scope outlined by the Parking & Air Quality Working Group (P&AQWG). This report detailed any request made by Individuals, businesses or organisations and scored them. Those proposals which score the highest are then put forward for further review. The result of the initial stage was then presented to the Guildford Joint Committee on Wednesday, 17 March 2021, which approved the identified areas to move to a proposal stage, resulting in this consultation.
These requests for the most part have been requested either by residents or local businesses over previous years. In some instances, particularly A & B roads, changes are proposed due to accident history, bus routes or for access by emergency services.
What do the residents say?
Many local residents have contacted their local councillors and commented on social media to complain, rejecting these proposals as unnecessary. These residents have explained that they have used these locations for residential parking for many years as they have no off-street parking of their own. If these proposals were implemented, it would surely move the problem elsewhere and leave vulnerable households displaced from their vehicle, on which they may heavily rely.
Cllr John Tonks contacted Lisa Haydney (Project Manager Parking Service Delivery Directorate), who had written to residents asking for their participation in this consultation. She said that “The consultation will provide a valuable insight into whether the controls are required or not. Obviously, we want to balance the needs of different user groups including the businesses but this will all be considered in the decision-making process.”
What roads are included in the proposal?
The following roads have been included in the proposals;
- Ash Hill Road
- Ash Street
- Dorset Road
- Elleray Court
- Gorselands Close
- OxendenRoad
- Phillips Close
- Prospect Road
- Shawfield Road
- Springfield Road
- Vale Road
Ash Parish News has detailed the following proposals impacting Ash Parish. The number of parking spaces has been estimated as the areas are generalised and the spaces are unmarked. All residents are strongly advised to participate in this consultation, particularly if they disagree with them as they have been proposed with the intention to implement. Visit https://www.guildford.gov.uk/parkingformaladvertisement to take part.
Ash Hill Rd / Shawfield Rd / Vale Rd – Proposed
This proposal will remove a total of 13 unlimited parking spaces within the area of the village centre.
Ash Hill Road
The proposal will remove 2 on-street parking spaces and convert a further 2 to Limited waiting 2 hours, no return within 1 hour Mon-Sat 8:30 – 16:00. This results in the removal of 4 unlimited parking spaces.
Shawfield Road
The proposal will convert 4 parking spaces to Limited waiting 2 hours, no return within 1 hour Mon-Sat 8:30 – 16:00. This results in the removal of 4 unlimited parking spaces.
Vale Road
The proposal will convert 5 parking spaces to Limited waiting 2 hours, no return within 1 hour Mon-Sat 8:30 – 16:00. This results in the removal of 5 unlimited parking spaces.
Ash Street – Proposed
This proposal will remove a total of 3 unlimited parking spaces within the area directly outside the Co-Op on Ash Street.
Ash Street
The proposal will remove 2 on-street parking spaces and convert a further 1 to Limited waiting 2 hours, no return within 4 hours Mon-Sat 8:30 – 16:00. 
Prospect Road, Elleray Court, Gorselands Close – Proposed
This proposal will remove a total of 3 unlimited parking spaces within the area directly outside the Co-Op on Ash Street.
Prospect Road
The proposal will remove approximately 10 on-street parking spaces. These break down to 3 opposite the Dorset Road Junction, 3 opposite the Springfield Road Junction and opposite Elleray Court.
Elleray Court
The proposal will remove 2 on-street parking spaces, closest to the Junction of Prospect Road.
Gorselands Close
The proposal will remove 2 on-street parking spaces, closest to the Junction of Prospect Road.
Springfield Road
The proposal will remove 2 on-street parking spaces, closest to the Junction of Prospect Road.
Dorset Road
The proposal will remove 2 on-street parking spaces, closest to the Junction of Prospect Road. 
Oxenden Road, Phillips Close – Proposed
Oxenden Road
The proposal will place double yellow lines along the grass verge which may currently allow for 2 – 3 cars.
Philips Close
The proposal will remove two on-street parking spaces, closest to the Junction of Oxenden Road.
How to take part in the formal consultation
To see all the proposals for Guildford Borough, including Ash, visit https://www.guildford.gov.uk/parkingformaladvertisement
To have your say on the Guildford On-Street Parking Review Survey, visit https://www.smartsurvey.co.uk/s/parking/
If you have any queries, please email Parking Representation: ParkingRepresentation@guildford.gov.uk
The decision made by the Parking lead, the County Council equivalent and councillors make will be final. If a proposal requires major amendments, it may need to be re-advertised. The Council may choose to defer the proposal to a future review. It could also choose not to proceed with any changes. If the proposals are agreed upon, they are expected to be implemented by mid-late 2022. If you would like to keep up to date with progress, please visit the Parking Reviews website.