Parish Council News Update – December 2025
Letter from the Chairman
Dear Villagers,
By the time this edition of the magazine reaches you, we may have had snow – perhaps better than the relentless rain of early December. And I hope that you will be enjoying a wonderful Christmas holiday. To make space for the accolades for the many volunteers who give their time to this village, a shortened update of Parish Council updates follows.
Woldingham Community Assets.
The Council have received Heads of Terms for Saxonwold, the amenity land off Church Road. The commissioned searches raised no concerns and a draft contract is now under negotiation. We hope to complete over the next few weeks, although the Christmas holidays may slow this slightly. We expect additional detail on the car park on station road over the next week or two and will be soliciting quotes to understand the management costs more precisely. Because The Green is held in Trust, the process to get Charity Commission permission, assuming we get Tandridge District Council approval – which seems likely as they have discussed the potential transfer many times over the years, is a long slow process.
North Downs Golf Club Asset of Community Value.
By the time of publication we should have the final decision on whether this designation will be renewed, so check our website at woldinghamparishcouncil.gov.uk.
Snow and Gritting.
Please remember to keep roads as clear as possible in the event of snow or icy conditions so that the gritter has space to work and turn.
Surrey Hills National Landscape (AONB) proposed extension.
The Surrey Hills National Landscape (SHNL) boundary review that started in 2021 has gone through two rounds of statutory and public consultations in 2023 and 2024, to which over 2000 people and organisations responded. Based on the input, SHNL have finalised the maps of the proposed SHNL boundary variation, which would expand the area by roughly 30%, adding an area of roughly 129 square kilometres. All of Woldingham has been proposed to be designated National Landscape (The Woldingham Valleys). The next stage of the review process is Natural England’s legally required notice period for the full draft proposal, known as a Draft Order. The notice period runs until midnight on the 14th of January. Representations that identify any outstanding issues with the proposal or assessment process may be submitted in writing or online and the Draft Order and proposed maps are available at 16 locations around the County and surrounding areas as well as online. Information about where and how to view the information and how to respond is available at:
> Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty Boundary Variation.
Representations will be reviewed and changes, if any, made to the Draft Order, which will then be sent to the Natural England Board for approval. Upon approval the Order will be submitted to the Secretary of State for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs who may confirm, refuse or vary the Natural England Order.
New website and email address reminder.
Our website address is now woldinghamparishcouncil.gov.uk (the old website will forward you). And our email addresses have also changed to .gov.uk addresses. All new addresses are on the website and all end in Woldinghamparishcouncil.gov.uk.
Monthly Council meetings.
WPC meetings are at 730pm the last Wednesday of the month (except August and December), open to all and the agendas are published at least 5 days in advance (website and noticeboard). The public are welcome to speak at the start of the meeting. There are occasional ad hoc meetings, also published in advance. If you would like to speak on any topic, please advise our clerk Karen at clerk@woldinghamparishcouncil.gov.uk.
Wishing you a wonderful Christmas and a healthy and happy new year,
Chairman Deborah Sherry