About Us

Hinchley Wood Residents Association
Councillors
History

Hinchley Wood Residents Association

Hinchley Wood Residents Association is an independent body. As a registered political party, we put forward candidates for local elections. Our councillors represent the interests of Hinchley Wood independently of national political parties. Our aim is to promote and protect the quality of life of our local community, but recognising that our quality of life cannot be separated from national, and indeed global, environmental concerns.

Since its foundation (at the same time as that of Hinchley Wood itself) in 1932, the Association has worked consistently and succesfully to ensure that development in and around Hinchley Wood takes place in an appropriate way which respects the character of the neighbourhood, and avoids encroachments on the rural surroundings which do so much to make Hinchley Wood a pleasant place to live.

The Association's achievements include:

- consistently protecting the Green Belt, right back to the pre-war proposals to develop the Lovelace Estate for housing, which would have filled in the whole area between Hinchley Wood, Claygate and Chessington

- resisting the HASQUAD (Heathrow and South West Quadrant) transport study proposals in 1993, which would have blighted the local area

- working with the Residents Against McDonalds (RAM) group and individual residents in the successful campaign in 1999 to stop McDonalds taking over the site of the former Hinchley Wood Hotel

- campaigning successfully for a pedestrian crossing in Hinchley Wood, which was installed at long last in 2006

- working to ensure that the redevelopment of the A309 government offices site is done in way that reflects community concerns

- representing the local community's interests in relation to the Elmbridge Core Development Strategy which will  guide planning in the Borough for the next 16 years or more

- practical action to brighten the neighbourhood up, for example by tackling graffiti and planting spring bulbs

- pushing for action on problems that are the responsibility of Surrey County Council, e.g. flooding in Heathside.

HWRA works with the Elmbridge Residents Group.

Councillors

ELMBRIDGE BOROUGH COUNCIL
Elmbridge Borough Council

Both seats for Hinchley Wood ward are held by Residents Association councillors.

Our Residents Association Councillors hold regular surgeries at which you can discuss problems directly with them. Please check the News & Events page for details.

2011 LOCAL ELECTION: JANET TURNER RETURNED WITH AN INCREASED MAJORITY
The result of the local election on 5th May was as follows:

Janet Turner (HWRA) 1263 (72%)
P J Warren (Conservative) 493 (28%)

The turnout in the ward was 49.58%, and Janet's majority was up 6 percentage points from the last time she contested the seat in 2007.

Across the Borough, the Conservatives gained two seats from the Liberal Democrats, and retain control of the council with 35 seats to Residents 20 and Liberal Democrats 5.

Congratulations to Janet on this excellent result, and thanks to everyone who gave the Residents Association their support in this election.

Janet's priorities are:
· Protecting allocations for services for the elderly and the vulnerable
· Holding the administration to account for the effective delivery of essential services
· Maintaining Hinchley Wood as a viable shopping centre
· Protecting our Green Belt and priceless commons.

For more information about Janet's background and policies, and why Residents was the right choice for Hinchley Wood, see Janet's election address.




Janet Turner

Councillor Mrs Turner is the Hinchley Wood Residents Association Group Leader.
She was born in Hersham in the late thirties, and attended local schools. She and her husband Roy moved to Hinchley Wood in 1983. Apart from a career break as full time mother to her two children, Janet has worked in the accounts department at a local electrical engineering company, in the finance/audit and marketing departments of the Milk Marketing Board, and in the NHS.
Since becoming a councillor in 1995, her principal aim has been to keep Hinchley Wood a green and pleasant place in which to live, by maintaining a keen interest in the issues relating to land development planning, flooding and crime prevention, local amenities and services. In addition she is involved with community groups looking after the environment and with local traders organizing social events.
Janet has served on all the main Council committees. As the portfolio holder for Leisure and Culture, she became very involved with the procurement of the new Excel Leisure Complex, which was built seven weeks ahead of schedule and on budget. She was also involved with the decision to support Mercedes Benz World and the construction of the 60 acre Brooklands Country Park – at no cost to the taxpayer – and the highly acclaimed Heart Centre at Walton on Thames.
The protection of the environment is at the top of her agenda. She is a keen advocate of recycling, composting, walking or cycling instead of using the car and the economical use of all energy sources. She believes strongly in the preservation of the green belt, and welcomes the new commons management plans which have been agreed with English Nature after a lot of hard negotiating.
She has been closely involved in many planning issues since becoming a
Councillor, notably the successful campaign to overturn a planning application by the McDonalds fast food group, and the housing development of the Lynwood site, which was one of the largest projects seen in Hinchley Wood since its foundation.
Janet has been a governor of Hinchley Wood Primary School for many years.
Her personal interests are cycling, keeping fit and healthy, skiing, badminton, reading, interior decoration, sewing, world travel, and spending time with her children and grand children.


2 Montgomery Avenue
Hinchley Wood
Esher
Surrey
KT10 9BB

Tel: 020 8398 1565
janet.turner@hinchleywood.org.uk




Frank Dabell


Frank Dabell was born in Wakefield, and after a university education and serving a commission in the RAF, he spent most of his subsequent career in higher education in the London area, the latter years as the Secretary and Registrar of the School of Oriental and African Studies in London. During this period he acted as Chair of numerous influential committees. He is now retired, but continues to act as a Consultant, in project management and property matters, mainly to Universities.
He and his wife Linda  have lived in Hinchley Wood for 25 years and Linda in particular has been involved with the Residents Association and Neighbourhood Watch for some time. Frank haas served as the Association’s Secretary and has a particular interest in planning. Prior to his retirement much of his spare time was spent playing cricket and rugby at Thames Ditton Cricket Club and Old Cranleighans respectively. He was Club Captain at the cricket club for a number of years.
Frank has no political affiliations and strongly supports the view that such allegiances are frequently against the interests of the local residents. All too often recently, we have seen attempts to micro-manage all affairs from the centre, leaving residents remote from influencing what happens locally. For example, two of the most important issues facing residents, those of education and highways, are outside local control in Elmbridge. In the case of Highways, centralisation has occurred more recently and residents see only too clearly how road surfaces and the street scene  in their neighbourhoods have deteriorated whilst bills have continued to rise. The effect is that residents feel local councillors are not doing anything, whilst local councillors have no jurisdiction in these areas. This is a recipe for discontent.  Accordingly, he is in favour of determining whether Elmbridge should be a Unitary Authority.  The return of grass cutting to Borough control last summer is an example of how services can be delivered more effectively at local instead of county level.
As mentioned, his other main interest concerns planning. He is determined that the Green Belt and our priceless commons should be preserved and enhanced, whilst preparing Hinchley Wood as a residential area and commercial centre to meet the challenges of the future.

43 Severn Drive
Hinchley Wood
Esher
Surrey
KT10 0AJ

Tel: 020 8398 3055
Frank.Dabell@hinchleywood.org.uk


History

Some highlights from the last 75 years of Hinchley Wood Residents Association's work on behalf of the local community:
1932 - First meeting of the executive committee, Mr Royston Pike secretary
1933 - HWRA fielded 6 candidates for election in the Long Ditton Ward. HWRA candidate Dr McDonald elected. Later on that year, Hinchley Wood made a separate ward with 3 councillors.
1934 to 1939 - HWRA closely involved in development of the new Hinchley Wood, held regular public meetings and provided the Hinchley Wood ward councillors for the District Council
!939 to 1945 - During the 2nd World War, no public meetings were held although there were some executive committee meetings.
1945 - Mr Royston Pike elected President
1945 to 1956 - HWRA was closely involved with further developments in Hinchley Wood: primary school, war memorial and gardens, recreation ground, train services, street lighting and preservation of the Green Belt.
1956 - HWRA rules changed so that only a resident of Hinchley Wood could stand as a candidate for election to the council
1980 - A councillor for 32 years, Mr Royston Pike died. A memorial to him is on Telegraph Hill.
1988 - Mr Bill Gibson a HWRA councillor for 24 years and the first Independent mayor, retired from the council
1999 - Ward boundaries changed so that Hinchley Wood only entitled to 2 councillors
2000 - Millennium gate installed in the Memorial Gardens, and HWRA registered as a political party
2001 - New notice board installed
1956 to 2007 - HWRA involved in supporting: the schools, safer roads, health care, flood prevention, bus shelters; and fought against: arterial roads, being part of Greater London, shopping mall, a supermarket, McDonalds restaurant, helicopter route, mini market, mobile phone masts; and ongoing: any new developments detrimental to Hinchley Wood.

HWRA  Councillors since the formation of Elmbridge Borough Council:

1973            Mr W Gibson          Mr N McMahon         Mr L Bailey
1974/ 81      Mr R Sadler            Mr W Gibson            Mr N Mc Mahon
1982/4         Mr E Sellers                      "                             "
1984/7         Mr B Chesover                 "                             "
1988            Mr C Harvey           Mr B Chesover         Mr W Gibson
1990            Mr N Phillips                     "                             "
1991            Mrs E Fisher          Mr N Phillips             Mr B Chesover
1992/4         Mr P Highley          Mrs E Fisher             Mr N Phillips
1995/8         Mrs J Turner          Mr P Highley             Mr N Phillips
1998 /2000  Mr A Walmsley     Mrs J Turner             Mr N Phillips
2000            Mrs J Turner          Mr A Walmsley     ( Boundary Changes only 2 Councillors)
2004/10       Mrs J Turner          Mr J Mulder
2010            Mrs J Turner          Mr F Dabell

For further reading on the history of Hinchley Wood, the Guildford via Cobham railway and other local history topics, visit Howard Mallinson's website:
Howard Mallinson local history books

See also Wikipedia
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