SURREY County Council’s area highways manager, John Hilder, has shed light on Crest Nicholson’s temporary access “haul road” from the A31 across the River Wey to the Brightwells site, and the anticipated lane closure on the eastbound carriageway of the Farnham bypass to facilitate the works.

Crest’s 2012 planning consent for Brightwells (WA/2010/1650) states: “Traffic congestion will be created on the A31 and associated parts of highway network not only during construction/dismantling of bridge and access but for entire East Street construction period of 2.5 to 3 years.”

However, responding to a question from Farnham Residents leader Jerry Hyman at the latest meeting of the Waverley Local Committee, Mr Hilder shared his “understanding” with councillors that the lane closure would only be in place during the construction and removal of the bridge, a process expected to take up to 28 weeks in total according to the 2012 consent, not for the entirety of the works on the wider scheme.

Crest Nicholson added in a statement: “One lane of the A31 was closed for a day for tree works in February 2018, and will be temporarily closed again later in the year for the creation of a new bridge. The bridge will be used to divert construction traffic off the A31,” added the developer.

“Waverley Borough Council, Surrey County Council and Crest Nicholson are currently in discussions over the length of this temporary closure, and are keen to keep this as short as possible to minimise disruption. The closure is likely to be required from early August 2018 to mid-November 2018.

“Following this work, both lanes of the A31 are expected to be open as usual.”

The meeting, at the Hale Institute on March 9, was the first held by the Waverley Local Committee after an unconditional contract was signed between Waverley Borough Council and developer Crest Nicholson last month, allowing the Brightwells scheme to proceed and confirming Surrey’s £40m investment in the retail element of the East Street redevelopment.

Bourne resident actor Abigail McKern asked committee members what Surrey County Council and Waverley Borough Council Plan B was if the retail take up for the Brightwells project fails: “in light of 25,000 shops closing in the last 15 years.”

Officers informed the meeting, Brightwells’ retail offering was an “evolving picture”, with only M&S Simply Food and Seasalt stores so far confirmed as tenants for the scheme’s 24 retail units.