On Wednesday 25 November at 6.30pm, we will be holding our third Local Liaison Forum to seek community views on future Farnham. This session is not so much about the roads, but more about the wider issues that define the type of town we want in the future. It is called the ‘Community’ session.

The Farnham Infrastructure Programme is fundamentally about updating the road systems in both the town centre and around the outskirts, but the programme’s wider vision is about making the town a better place to live, work and play in. Most people want to see the town centre become a more welcoming place to visit, both for shopping and for all the other things we like to do.

In the forum we will be asking whether you share that vision and what you would like to change in the centre. Would you like a more open centre that supports outdoor eating, would you like more community space for meeting friends, and features for young children? What sort of streetscene would you expect – more trees and seating, what sort of paving? What can we do to help the disabled? Do you want a regular market: sometimes conventional, sometimes specialist? We will also talk about bus services, cycle routes and better-connected pathways so that people can get around the town more easily. This will lead to discussions about health, fitness, air quality and climate change.

In this forum, we want people across the population to join us. We want to hear from the younger generation, 20’s age group. We want to hear from the core working age group and those bringing up children. And, of course, we want to hear from the older generation, those who might have more time on their hands but also face more challenges getting around the town.

Please make a note of the date. Talk to your friends and encourage them to come along. This is your chance to have a say. See our Local Liaison Forum page for more details together with instructions for registering and receiving joining instructions.

By Councillor John Neale, Leader, Farnham Town Council Published in the Farnham Herald on 9 November 2020