Amphibian and Reptile Conservation will be out on Crooksbury Common in the run up to Christmas.  Work will involve cutting back invasive and pioneer scrub which will be burnt on site, forthcoming dates are:

17th of November 
26th of November 

These are volunteer days and all are welcome so if anyone wants come along and help out or just pop down to have a chat with ARC about their work or Crooksbury, then they are welcome.

Sadly there was no evidence of Natterjack breeding on Crooksbury Common this year,  this does not necessarily mean no breeding took place just that ARC have no evidence.  Only one person reported seeing tadpoles of any kind this year, which was appreciated,  ARC will be monitoring these areas closely next year. 

ARC say it was a fairly wet and cold Natterjack breeding season which is the main limiting factor and they are hopeful next spring will be warmer. They were also slightly concerned with the number of extremely heavy disturbance instances. The toad's ecology and the fragility of the spawn just can't cope with the amount of pressure that was seen.  

With the continued conservation work and communication efforts, ARC are hopeful people will understand the importance of the site and how necessary it is to protect it, not just because it the last Natterjack site in the county but also because it is home to so much rare and wonderful wildlife. 

If anyone is interested in supporting ARC  here is our volunteer sign up page

The Government is continuing it’s review of the changes to the Surrey Hills National Landscape and has just posted about a new consultation that they are asking feedback on.

How this will affect the Parish remains to be seen so have your say by completeing the online survey here.

The site also gives information on the results of the first consultation and these are reflected in the new survery.

The Government has released a draft proposal to change the National Planning Policy Framework and other changes to the planning system . This includes changes to the Greenbelt boundaries and adds new ‘Grey’ areas within it that allows development on existing sites. These changes may affect how development is consented to in our parish.

Please take a look and make comment ideally through their online survey as they are actively seeking feedback.

You need to act swiftly as the consultation ends at 11.45pm on Tuesday 24 September 2024.

Link to consultation here

Due to an increase in military training at Hankley Common, we have been advised by the M.O.D of the following:

The troop debussing area, also known as, DZ car park / top car park and surrounding area will close from 22:00hrs Sunday 15th September and re-open 07:00hrs Saturday 26th October 2024.

The M.O.D. has asked users of the common to stay well clear of this area.

Due to an increase in military training at Hankley Common, we have been advised of the following:

The troop debussing area, also known as, DZ car park / top car park will close from 18:00hrs Thursday 25th July and re-open 12:00hrs Friday 2nd August 2024.

The M.O.D. has asked users of the common to stay well clear of this area.

New 11 a-side football goals are to be installed at both our recreation grounds after the Parish Council and our incumbent club Ash United Youth FC worked together to secure part funding for the goal posts and the installation. The balance of the funding has been met by the PC and the posts become our property.

Installation of the new sockets is to take place on Wednesday 16th July with the new posts to follow shortly after.

We’d like to take this opportunity to thank Ash United Youth FC for their support in securing the grant from the Football Foundation. This will help to ensure children from the parish and surrounding areas can continue to develop their football skills using our facilities for years to come.

The Parish Council and on behalf of the residents of Seale & Sands, we would like to pay tribute to the brave men and women who took part in D-Day, 80 years ago.

D-Day of 6th June 1944 remains the largest ever seaborne invasion and along with airborne operations was the beginning of the liberation of France and western Europe.

Servicemen from the parish who gave their life during World War II:
Lieut J F Brownrigg Sherwood Foresters
Corpl. A E Bulbeck Royal Hampshire Regiment
Flight Sergt. E G Cass Royal Air Force
Lieut. C P W Cross Royal Navy
Capt. R A Lindsay East Surrey Regiment
Corpl. E A Papworth Sherwood Foresters
Admiral Sir Tom S V Phillips K.C.B.
Capt. S H M Russell M.P. Coldstream Guards
Lieut. R L S Russell Royal Artillery
Lt Col Dudley Ralph Turnbull DSO

We will remember them.

Guildford’s first annual Green Day will be held on Sunday 9 June 2024 from 11.00am to 4.00pm inviting you to “Be part of a Greener Guildford”. 

Guildford Green Day is supporting the national Big Green Week. It will help raise awareness of climate change issues and environmental concerns by promoting climate change initiatives, waste & recycling, vegan food, flood resilience, and local green businesses.

 Guildford Borough Council is coordinating the free, fun, and interactive event, bringing in dozens of local providers, traders, and community organisations, all working together. The event will involve a range of environmental, education and awareness activities, family entertainment, and many different stalls on the High Street. 

Visit our free activities:

• Learn how you can do more to tackle climate change

• Hear from world-class researchers from University of Surrey

• Learn more about recycling with our fun games

• Meet the team from Zero Carbon Guildford

• Roll up, roll up for circus skills

• Meet our fun, friendly, furry recycling champion

• Get information about better insulating your home

• Browse through a selection of plant-based artisan market stalls offering ethically sourced goods

Visit www.VisitGuildford.com for more information

The troop debussing area, also known as, DZ Car Park will be closed for authorised filming and military training during the following periods: Wednesday 22nd May - 29th May and Saturday 1st June - 9th June.

The M.O.D. has asked users of the Common to stay well clear of this activity.

Progress is being made by a group of residents to purchase the freehold of the Barley Mow in The Sands. Many residents have already pledged contributions to purchase shares to help secure the pub for the future. If you would like help bring the pub into collective ownership then this is your opportunity.

Pledges are required by this Wednesday 1st May.

For more details contact the action group to request an information pack at savebarleymowsands@outlook.com

As part of the Local Plan process Waverley Borough Council has made a request to landowners for them to offer land for a variety of uses. 

Suez have reviewed the long-term future of Princess Royal North site and South site at Runfold and have offered the sites as part of this process.  The land is being offered for a mix of uses including Biodiversity Net Gain and Suitable Alternative Natural Greenspace (SANG), Community sports facilities, school sports facilities, outdoor activities / leisure / charity use and for housing development. 

The maps below show two options that SUEZ are making to Waverley.  This is the first step in a very long process that may not be taken up by Waverley, however if it does proceed the proposals will be subject to public consultation.

Although the sites sit just outside of our Parish, it is likely that any change of use will have some impact on Seale & Sands.

There is currently no plan for this type of use for Seale Lodge or Sandy Cross landfill sites.

Surrey County Council (SCC) had originally planned a simple solution to increase the capacity of the culvert under Blighton Lane to carry water across, and reduce the risk of flooding, however whilst reviewing  the design they found that there is a large volume of silt for which they would have provided a route to deposit downstream on other properties /  land. They concluded that this would have caused a greater problem for SCC to deal with than the current flooding problem. 

SCC have therefore been looking at alternative systems that do not require ongoing maintenance to such a high level and have been in discussion with landowners, including the Golf Club, about potential solutions before progressing further. The Golf Club is eager to prevent/slow down the discharge of water from the golf course and seems happy to cooperate. 

In addition, the Hampton Estate fields to the east have changed crops. SCC have discussed the issue with the farm, and they will now be implementing measures including silt traps and changing the plough lines to reduce silt and water runoff.

The next steps for the scheme are as follows:

• Complete the drainage investigation of the piped crossing to determine what assets are already in place on Blighton Lane (Planned For April 2024)

• To arrange the expansion of the balancing pond located at the edge of Blighton Lane Situated on golf course land, depending on Legal team agreement, (Expected delivery August-October 2024).

• Create a capillary break formed of Hydro rock to act as a barrier against silt and possible flooding on Blighton Lane and underground culvert to pipe the water across. (Expected delivery August-October 2024).

The Parish Council has lobbied SCC for several years about the issue of flooding at this point. including more recently about the extended time the North Downs Way is flooded. We look forward to all landowners and authorities to come together to address this issue and provide a suitable solution to the problem.

The Barley Mow Public House in The Sands was registered by the Parish Council with the planning authority, Guildford Borough Council, as an Asset of Community Value (ACV) 22nd June 2022. This designation means that if the business and freehold is put up for sale and the potential new owner wouldn’t carry on the same business or if a change of use is applied for, the owner has to notify the planning authority and the Parish Council would be informed and we would advertise the details to the community.

There are various caveats with how an ACV can work for the community and whether it comes into play or not. Please read on to find out more.

The following is an extract from mycommunity.org.uk: ‘Once listed as Assets of Community Value with the local authority, the local community will be informed if they are listed for sale within the five year listing period. The community can then enact the Community Right to Bid, which gives them a moratorium period of six months to determine if they can raise the finance to purchase the asset.

The Community Right to Bid does not give the right of first refusal to community organisations to buy an asset that they successfully nominate for inclusion on the local authority’s list. What it does do is give time for them to put together the funding necessary to bid to buy the asset on the open market. If an owner wants to sell property/land that is on the list, they must tell the local authority. If the nominating body is keen to develop a bid, they can then call for the local authority to trigger a moratorium period, during which time the owner cannot proceed to sell the asset.

There are two moratorium periods. Both start from the date the owner of the asset tells the local authority of their intention to sell. The first is the interim moratorium period, which is six weeks, during which time a community organisation can decide if they want to be considered as a potential bidder. The other is a full moratorium period, which is six months, during which a community organisation can develop a proposal and raise the money required to bid to buy the asset. The regulations list some situations where the Moratorium will not be applied, even when it is an Asset of Community Value on the list. These include:

• If the disposal is a gift

• If the disposal is made between members of the same family

• If the land or building being disposed of is part of a bigger estate

• If the disposal is of a building or piece of land on which going-concern business is operating, provided that the sale is to a new owner to continue the same business (for example if an owner of a pub wants to sell the pub to a new owner, to continue running it as a pub).

During a moratorium, the owner of the asset cannot conclude the sale.’

 To date the Parish Council has not received any notification from GBC on this matter.

From Surrey County Council:

Start date: Monday 25 March 2024

Duration: For 3 days

Temporary Traffic Lights 8.30am – 3.30pm

Please look out for advance warning signs on site for any date changes or check one.network or @HighwaysSurrey on Twitter, Surrey Highway on Facebook and @surrey_highways on Instagram

Information for residents and businesses

We will be carrying out drainage investigation works on Seale Lane and Hogs Back, Farnham.

On Hogs Back, works will be carried out at the junction with Guildford Road, Hogs Back, Seale Lane.

On Seale Lane, works will be carried out outside Whiteways Cottage, at the junction with Guildford Road and Hogs Back

Access to your properties and businesses will be maintained when it is safe to do so. Please speak to a member of staff on site regarding access requirements and they will be able to assist you further.

Please park elsewhere while the works are in progress. : It is essential to keep the road free from parked vehicles to enable the works to proceed. Please park somewhere else otherwise your vehicle may be towed away to a nearby road.

Delays in work : Our work is sometimes delayed by bad weather. We will keep you updated on any changes via the advance warning signs and on one.network

Noise : There will be some noise, but we will try to keep this to a minimum.

Our contractors are to undertake tree work on the woodland at The Sands Recreation ground adjacent to Littleworth road (opposite Long Hill). Work commences at 8am and will take a few days as a number of dead pines will be removed therefore some large machinery will be onsite.

We do not anticipate disruption but some trees are close to the roadside and it may be necessary to manage the traffic when these specific trees are felled. Please avoid using the woodland during these works and take care when using the footpath from the Littleworth Road onto the recreation ground. More updates will follow as necessary.

As many of you will appreciate, we are extremely blessed to have such wonderful open spaces in our neighbourhood. Woodland such as Crooksbury Common offer people within our community and the surrounding areas an opportunity for relaxation and exercise, the benefits of which promote our wellbeing. Whether it is a run, dog walk, mountain biking, horse ride or simply soaking up nature our open spaces should be valued as a free and accessible resource.

Seale and Sands Parish Council is endeavouring to ensure that our woodland and common land is protected and available for all to enjoy and thus we are promoting communication with all those involved in the maintenance and overall management of these spaces. We in turn would like to keep you informed of the projects we are aware of, so it can enhance your enjoyment and inform you when making choices of where to visit. Recently we have been liaising with ARC (Amphibian & Reptile Conservation) and they have very kindly shared with us their management programme on Crooksbury Common.

Guildford Borough Council own Crooksbury Common and lease it to The Forestry Commission which has subsequently passed over some pockets of land to ARC to manage for the conservation of species for a period of 10 years.

Crooksbury is home to many rare and wonderful species, that simply would not be there without ARC’s management.  For instance: the Natterjack Toad, Smooth Snake and Sand Lizard for which populations are incredibly scarce and fragmented.

ARC’s management also benefits rare birds such as the Dartford Warbler (Only 2,200 pairs in the UK), Woodlark (2,300 pairs), and Nightjar (4,600 pairs). Crooksbury is also good for Tree Pipit and Crossbill which all benefit from lowland heath and/or dune systems.

Crooksbury is also home to a remnant population of Glow Worms, a species in decline that would have been far more widespread before the afforestation of Surrey’s Heathlands. 

Here is ARC’s annual plan of works:

Spring - Creating bare ground - We put in sand scrapes, primarily for Sand Lizards as they need fresh sand to lay their eggs in. But this benefits large amount of heathland species, especially rare plants and invertebrates.  

Summer - Bracken control - Because heathlands are so fragmented it is important to control the encroachment of bracken, otherwise it will shade out the dwarf shrubs and rare heathland plant communities leading to a monoculture and less biodiversity.

Autumn/Winter - Scrub clearance / heather mowing - As early secessional habitats it is important to control the levels of scrub and trees. This is done rotationally to insure there are appropriate levels to maintain and mosaic of habitats and maximum biodiversity. 

A similar process is done with the dwarf shrubs, mowing them to achieve a varied age structure.

Both of these benefit a wide range of species, but in particular specialized birds, reptiles, amphibians and invertebrates that have evolved to live in these open heathland habitats.

As you may have noticed many trees on the common have been marked with either orange or green spray paint, possibly for felling, we have contacted The Forestry Commission and ARC for clarification on this regard.

They still don’t have any dates planned for the tree harvesting work to take place at Crooksbury, there is still some timber measuring work to be done which they are seeking a contractor to carry out due to continuing pressures on staff/staffing numbers.

It was thought the trees were to be coming out winter 2023, although this now seems unlikely as we are into spring 2024 at the time of writing. ARC now assume they will come out some time winter 2024/5, although they cannot say for sure. 

With recent controlled fires on Crooksbury Common, ARC understand that trees coming down and burning brash can seem destructive and not very environmentally friendly, but they are assuring us it is of massive benefit to wildlife and the environment. 


The long-term plan for Crooksbury Common can be found online here.

ARC is always looking to engage more with local communities. They currently have volunteering opportunities and attend educational events. They also hope to have some information boards up at Crooksbury Common soon.

Upcoming events:

8th June Churt Fete
8/9th June Heathlands reunited - Bordon

I hope you have found this informative and if you have any questions or observations, please feel free to contact me: Councillor Nicola Collett - nicolacollett@yahoo.com clerk@saspc.info

Rushmoor Borough Council have chosen to extend the period in which the airport’s planning application to increase flights and size of aircraft is to be determined.

This extension is for various reasons but most notably to consider further information requested by Rushmoor from the airport. Rushmoor will consult again based on this new information and will consult those previously included but will extend the consultees further to include those affected by noise.

A full report on this update can be found on Rushmoor’s website here and as shown below:

Details of the current planning application that includes increasing the number of flights at Farnborough airport.

Update on when the planning application will be determined

It was our aim to determine the planning application in March 2024, to meet the 16-week statutory deadline for environmental impact assessment applications.

However, due to the need for additional information (please see below) and the statutory consultation periods, meeting this March deadline is no longer possible.

Due to the considerable public interest in the item and the upcoming pre-election period, we cannot determine the application during this time. The application will now go to a planning committee after the May elections.

At this stage, we expect that the application will be considered by our Development Management Committee during the summer. We would like to avoid the school holidays if possible.

We will be publishing updates about the application, including when the application will go to committee on this web page, and we send them to everyone who has already commented on the application.

Our request for additional information

On 24 January, we made a request to Farnborough Airport Ltd for additional information and clarifications on their application.

This took the form of a Regulation 25 and a S.73 additional information request.

Farnborough Airport Ltd, on 29 of January, submitted additional information and we are currently reviewing this.

We will do a public consultation on the new information that we have received, but we will only consult once we have received all the information required to reach a decision.

We may make further information requests to the applicant if we decide this is necessary.

All comments that we already received will still be considered when we determine the application in the summer.

Consultation on the application

In November 2023 we sent a consultation letter to all properties, including residents, businesses and schools,  in the inbound and outbound flight paths of the airport within the borough of Rushmoor.

We also consulted with the councils and parishes within local authority areas that lie within the 7,000 ft flight path of Farnborough Airport.

We placed newspaper adverts to publicise the consultation in local authorities within the 4,000 ft flight path of Farnborough Airport. 

Following legal advice, we will be extending the consultation area on the planning application.

Extending the consultation area

All those who have been consulted previously or who have commented on the application, will be consulted again on the additional information that we receive from the applicant.

All properties within the projected Noise ‘Lowest Observed Adverse Effect Level’ (LOAEL) area will also be consulted about the planning application – including those who fall within this area but are outside of Rushmoor.

This extension to the consultation area for the planning application is based upon the predicted noise impacts of the proposals on residential properties.

To determine if a property is 'affected' by noise for the purposes of consultation, we have adopted a criterion of a +3dB change between the lowest observed adverse effect level (LOAEL) and the significant observed adverse effect level (SOAEL) and 2dB above SOAEL. This approach has been used by other airports and has been tested in the courts.

The planning application we received in November 2023

On 6 November, Farnborough Airport Ltd submitted a planning application to:

• Increase the maximum number of annual aircraft movements from 50,000 to 70,000 per annum, including an increase in non-weekday aircraft movements from 8,900 to 18,900 per annum

• Amend the aircraft weight category of 50,000 to 80,000 kg to 55,000 to 80,000 kg, and an increase from 1,500 to 2,100 aircraft movements within this category, including an increase from 270 to 570 annual aircraft movements for non-weekdays

• Replace conditions numbers 7 (1:10,000 risk contour) and 8 (1:100,000 risk contour) of the existing planning permission with a new condition to produce public safety zone maps in accordance with the Civil Aviation Authority/Department for Transport requirements

The council validated the application on 10 November, and the planning application reference number is 23/00794/REVPP.

You can review the documents submitted with this planning application on our planning applications website.

Because there are a large number of documents associated with this application, you may want to use the 'filter by' function to help you search for a particular document. You can see a list of all documents submitted with the planning application, including versions, in the Farnborough airport planning application documents list.

Hard copies of all the documents are also available to view at the council offices and at Aldershot library and Farnborough library during opening hours.

How to comment

The deadline for us to receive comments was Sunday 17 December, which is in line with statutory timescales. This is an extension on the original deadline of 4 December. It is at our discretion to accept additional comments after the deadline.

Comment by using our planning applications system

Submit your comments about the Farnborough airport planning application

If you use our planning applications website to provide your comments on the application, there is a 500-character limit for your main comments.

Once you start completing your form for comments, there is also a 30-minute time limit. After 30 minutes, the form will reset, and you will have to start the form again. Therefore, we recommend that you prepare your comments before you start typing them into form.

Comment by email

You can also send in your comments by email at farnboroughairport@rushmoor.gov.uk, where there is no limit for the length of your comments.

If you have any questions, please contact us using the contact details below. 

We are expecting a significant number of public comments and enquiries. We therefore ask for your patience and understanding during this time as we process them. 

We will not be able to reply to consultation comments because of the volume we expect to be submitted.

Contact us

Farnborough airport consultation

01252 398 018 farnboroughairport@rushmoor.gov.uk

Farnborough Airport has submitted an application to Rushmoor Borough Council to change the conditions of their existing planning approval on how the airport can operate.

The application has considerable consequences for areas surrounding the airport, for some distance and flight corridors, therefore it is important for residents of Seale & Sands to understand the effects these changes will have on our village.

Noise is probably the most notable disruption caused to residents by aircraft from Farnborough Airport (FAL). The airport is seeking to increase the aircraft movements from 50,000 to 70,000 per year. There are a couple of points to consider regarding this variation: 1 - currently, aircraft movements are circa 33,000 per year where 8,900 of those are at the weekend (the maximum allowable movements at the weekend) so we are not yet experiencing the full extent of what is permissible. 2 - the variation seeks to increase the weekend movements to 18,900, more than doubling the number of flights currently experienced at the weekend.

FAL, are also looking to increase a size category of aircraft from 50,000-80,000kg to 55,000-80,000kg (essentially 737 size aircraft with capacity to carry 85-215 people) and increase the number of movements from 1500 to 2100 annually and increase the weekend movements from 270 to 570 - this is on top of the 18,900 other movements on weekends. It is not fully clear what the impact of changing the weight category will be; FAL suggest this will allow for quieter aircraft however this is unproven and would depend on whether any new approval includes specific conditions limiting noise from this category. What is clear is there will be more disruption due to an increase in movements.

It should also be considered that FAL have permission for ‘non-reportable flights’, essentially these aircraft movements do not count within the figures above but have an effect on us nevertheless.

They are also looking to change how risk to the public by aircraft operations ie. Flight movements, is determined.

During the pre-application consultation FAL considered extending their operating hours, though this has been dropped from the application.

There are over 70 documents associated with this application, many of which are technical (noise monitoring, socio-economic benefits, air quality, bio-diversity impact and more). The Parish Council has decided that we are not in a position to challenge these technical details associated with the application and how FAL represent them, though there are other councils and bodies that have.

If you are disturbed by the aircraft movements currently, it is fair to say this change will increase the disturbance caused and consideration should also be given to additional pollution we may experience.

The Parish Council encourages you to respond to this application and you have until Sunday 17th December to do so.

Access the documents here and use the application number in the search bar: 23/00794/REVPP

Seale Village Hall Committee invites you to join them for a glass of mulled wine and a great opportunity to meet old and new friends at this years Christmas Cheer, Saturday 9th 6-8pm at Seale Village Hall.

There will be nibbles and a bar selling wine, beer, mulled wine and soft drinks.

Children are welcome and the committee looks forward to seeing you there.

For the Fallen

Poem by Robert Laurence Binyon (1869-1943), published in The Times newspaper on 21 September 1914.

With proud thanksgiving, a mother for her children,
England mourns for her dead across the sea.
Flesh of her flesh they were, spirit of her spirit,
Fallen in the cause of the free.

Solemn the drums thrill: Death august and royal
Sings sorrow up into immortal spheres.
There is music in the midst of desolation
And a glory that shines upon our tears.

They went with songs to the battle, they were young,
Straight of limb, true of eye, steady and aglow.
They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted,
They fell with their faces to the foe.

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.

They mingle not with their laughing comrades again;
They sit no more at familiar tables of home;
They have no lot in our labour of the day-time;
They sleep beyond England's foam.

But where our desires are and our hopes profound,
Felt as a well-spring that is hidden from sight,
To the innermost heart of their own land they are known
As the stars are known to the Night;

As the stars that shall be bright when we are dust,
Moving in marches upon the heavenly plain,
As the stars that are starry in the time of our darkness,
To the end, to the end, they remain.