Appendix D – Community Facilities Report
The parish of Albury is well served with a number of community facilities including an active collection of Churches, sporting and recreational facilities covering football, cricket, crown green bowls and a recreation ground with children’s playground. And finally, the Village Hall and Memorial Library provide meeting space for a number of active local clubs. The full list of facilities covered in this report is as follows:
Village Hall
Memorial Library
Albury Bowls Club
The Church of St Peter and St Paul’s – Albury
Allotments
Recreation Ground
Riverside Meadow
The Old Church of St Peter and St Paul, Albury – Albury Park
St Michael’s Church (The Barn Church) – Farley Green
Albury Sports Club (The Pavilion
For the sake of clarity, we should acknowledge that there a number of additional facilities with the Parish, such as the village shop, post office, pubs and cafes at Newlands Corner that are not covered by this report as those are covered under the rural enterprise report, though we accept they are in themselves community assets.
Within the parish there is no direct access to critical medical facilities including doctor’s surgeries, dentists or hospitals – all of these facilities lie outside the parish and need to be accessed via various forms of public transport which are poor.
It’s worth noting that there are no school or nursery facilities located within the Parish. Local children travel to the surrounding villages or to Guildford for educational needs.
The Surrey County Council, ‘Surrey School Organisation Plan (2018-2027)’ lists 38 primary phase schools and seven secondary schools, six with post-16 provision in the borough of Guildford. Guildford College and Godalming College also provides sixth form provision to the local and surrounding area.
Guildford is made up of 9 individual primary planning areas with each primary phase school being allocated to one of these planning areas. The parish of Albury falls into the Tillingbourne Valley planning area which includes the following Infant and Junior schools:
Infant Schools
Shere CoE Infant School
Chilworth CoE Infant School
Junior Schools
Tillingbourne Junior School
St Peter’s Catholic School
Holy Trinity Pewley Down School
For secondary schools Guildford Borough is split into three secondary planning areas (Farnham & Ash, Guildford Town and Leatherhead) although these are not described as ‘hard borders’ for catchment area planning when allocating secondary school places – hence Glebelands is included on the list below.
Secondary Schools
Guildford County School
George Abbot School
St Peter’s Catholic Comprehensive School
Glebelands Cranleigh
At present, based on current birth rates and housing development plans Surrey County Council have no plans to increase the number of school places within the schools above. The ‘Surrey School Organisation Plan (2018-2027)’ states the education requirements can be met within the existing education infrastructure.
It should be noted however, that locations around the parish will see large increases in population as a consequence of new developments planned under the GBC and Waverley Local Plans. These changes will create increased competition for school places, that could impact school catchment areas and have serious implications for Albury school children.
Nursey Schools
The desire for a nursery facility was identified the 2016 Parish Plan. Demand for such a facility would need to be tested with local residents, and a suitable building identified within in the parish to accommodate the requirements of this type of business. Options could include the Bowls club or new Sports Club on the Heath.
Local children access private nursey and pre-school facilities in Shere. A nursery school was identified in the 2016 Parish Plan as a requirement in the parish.
Children attending schools are required to commute outside the parish though there is inadequate public transport to accommodate this, the public bus service does not run a school friendly timetable. Children are dependent on school buses and private transport.
Map of Community Facilities locations
Albury Village Hall and Memorial Library - Map location - Number 1 & 2
The Village Hall building is an ‘embankment’ type construction with offices above and another small office space at the lower ground level. It is owned by the Albury Estate and leased to the Parish Council. Originally much larger, conversion of much of the space in the past to offices has left it as one single ground-floor area of 130 sqm. with space for up to 120 people.
There is a small kitchen at one end and there are toilets either side of the entrance from the Car Park. In addition, a small stage can be set-up at one end; tables and chairs and a piano are also provided. The village hall is connected to ultra-fast fibre-based broadband provided by Broadband for Surrey Hills
The Memorial Library is adjacent to the Village Hall. It is a separate, small, building of approximately 400 sqm with a small kitchen and disabled toilet facilities. Seating around a conference table is limited to about 12 people. The Memorial Library is also one of the locations for the community defibrillators located within the parish.
There is a large car park adjacent to both buildings, which is frequently at full capacity. Ten local residents have hired spaces within the car park plus spaces are taken by the two local businesses located within the hall. The result is that one-third of the car park is not available for users of the Village Hall
Interior Entrance
Forward Plans
Although there is no immediate plan for any expansion of these facilities, there has been discussion on this topic in the past. The previous Community Led Parish Plan suggested the lower ground office space could be converted to a Café, with outside seating overlooking the river. The addition of a Cafe, with a map of local walks and an area for bicycles, would encourage more trade from the many walkers and cyclists passing through the village.
Usage
Both facilities are managed by Albury Parish Council. They can be rented out by the general public and are used on a regular basis by a number of social/activity groups – The Village Hall also acts as the Polling Station at election time. About one third of the usage is by local Albury groups and the rest by outsiders who charge for their services. It is not suitable for events such as Amateur Dramatics or a Nursery, although it has been used on rare occasions for Wedding receptions; these activities tend to create parking ‘issues’. Parking is limited – Bay 1 is for Village Hall use, Bay 3 is reserved for residents who pay a small nominal fee but can be used during the day if available.
This facility is valued by the community and should be retained, though more parking is necessary.
Typical usage is as follows:
| Village Hall | Frequency |
|---|---|
| Surrey Women’s Institute | Bi- weekly |
| Jam Free Women’s Institute | Monthly |
| Pilates class | Weekly |
| Professional Quilting | Monthly |
| Child/Adult Parties | Ad-hoc |
| History Society | Monthly |
| Ladies Choir | Weekly |
| Art Class | Weekly |
| Memorial Library | |
| Art Class | Twice-Weekly |
| APC meetings | Bi-Monthly |
Albury Bowls Club - Map location – Number 3
Description of facilities
A private Car Park with an entrance onto Church Lane provides access to the Bowls Clubhouse, which is a single-story building of approximately 110 sqm. The facilities within the building include indoor bowling mats for practice during the winter season, together with a bar area (including toilets). There is a large outside Bowling Green, situated between the Clubhouse and Church lane.
The Club is involved in approximately 90 competitive matches throughout the year covering, both indoor and outdoor bowls. During the summer season matches are played (on a Home and Away basis) in a number of County Competitions. During the winter, the Clubhouse is used to play ‘indoor Short Mat’ bowls with 2 club nights (Tuesday and Wednesday) necessary due to the popularity. The Club participates in a number of County competitions with matches played in the Clubhouse of an evening. Due to the sensitivity of the playing areas of the Short Mats, once laid for the winter, they are moved very infrequently (just for Social evenings).
Usage
The building is currently used exclusively by the Bowling Club. The car park is used by St Peter and St Paul church as an overflow carpark for weddings and funerals by arrangement with the vicar.
Conversations with the club chair confirmed the current membership is around 20 people and has remained at this level for a few years now. At present, all of the members live outside the parish. The club has tried on many occasions to attract new members from within the parish but without success and this is something the club would like to reverse.
e. A review online of the general health of crown green bowls has confirmed that clubs across the country are all suffering from declining numbers, reduced funding and council support being withdrawn. So the situation at Albury is in line with the national picture.
Forward Plans
In 2015 the Albury Community Led Parish Plan suggested that it might be possible to make minor modifications to the Clubhouse that would make it suitable for combined use, both as a Bowls Club and as a daytime Child’s Nursery (with an outside play area in Malcom’s Field). This proposal, however, did not achieve the necessary support from the Club’s members at that time. It should also be noted that the viability of mixed use for a nursey is complex as both parties require equipment to be left out for use.
The bowls club has one of only 2 car parks in Albury village, and by informal arrangement it is used by the parish church for weddings and funerals, otherwise it is largely under-utilised. The village is short of parking. There is currently no safe parking for families using the Recreation ground in Westonfields, (the village hall car park requires them to cross the busy A248). We should consider whether the bowls club car park could be opened up to the parish for parking. It would also be invaluable if access could be secured to the shops/pub on the Street via Malcolm’s Field.
Village Green
The 2016 Parish Plan identified support for a village green in Albury village with support from 72% of respondents. Macolm’s Field was identified as a location and an approach to the Estate for a lease should be investigated. This would have the benefit of linking the shops/pub on the Street with Westonfields, and the Recreation Ground and parking (bowls club). The village green would also allow for additional football pitches for Albury Football club for children’s matches-these are regularly played outside the parish and could be a venue for a Farmers Market, supporting local producers.
Bowling Green in play
The Church of St Peter and St Paul’s – Albury - Map location - Number 4
Description of facilities
St Peter and St Paul’s Church is the main place of worship for the parish. The church is a unique and remarkable example of Victorian parish architecture built of traditional red brick with seating for approx. 120 -150 people. The Parish Church of St Peter and St Paul has stood halfway up the hill overlooking Albury village for more than a hundred and eighty years following its consecration in 1842 when it replaced the Old Saxon Church in Albury Park. From the great west door, you look across the Tillingbourne valley, with the church of St Martha’s-on-the-Hill, Clearly visible in good weather.
St Peter and St Paul’s looks out over some of the most beautiful scenery in the county and is completely at home in its surroundings.
Facilities include an up-to-date sound system and projection equipment, a single toilet (suitable for disabled visitors), kitchenette and limited parking for approximately 10-14 cars split across various places around the churchyard. Additional parking is provided by an informal agreement with the Bowls Club. The churchyard is still open for burials of coffins and cremated remains, with a newly provided Garden of Remembrance for the latter. The churchyard is increasingly being managed in an eco-friendly manner as a community resource and a habitat for wild flora and fauna.
[Usage]{.underline} One or more Christian services are held every Sunday for anyone who wishes to attend. The church is a focal point for people at the large points in the calendar such as Christmas, Easter, Mother’s Day, Remembrance, etc when people come together; and for key points in life – baptisms, weddings and funerals. There are occasional other services and events including some meetings on Zoom. There is a set of six bells with a team of ringers. The church offers separate groups for children in some Sunday services. It has been been obliged to recast some activities since the coronavirus pandemic and monthly ‘Messy Church’ on Sunday’s has become increasingly important in serving the family age group. The church is starting a new venture for families, based at Chilworth Infant School, and leads other activities with its partner parishes of Shere and Chilworth, such as the annual Holiday Club for 5-11 year olds. There are also midweek groups for adults, pastoral care, and activities for the community (quiz, beetle drive, harvest meal, etc). These largely take place beyond the church building. The church also produces a monthly ‘Albury News’ parish magazine which is used by the community for information on local events and for local businesses to promote their services.
There is a collection point for local Food Banks in the church lobby. A community defibrillator is installed on the south exterior wall.
The legal title is vested in the Rector and Churchwardens, with the Parochial Church Council responsible for day to day use and management.
Future Plans
The church has a development plan aimed at encouraging faith exploration and strengthening links with younger people and families, whilst maintaining its pastoral care. This does not in the short term require major alteration to facilities, but there will be proper maintenance, new equipment, etc.
Albury Allotments - Map location – Number 5
Description of facilities
There are 16 allotments within the parish situated at the end of Church Lane and a short walk up the Warren, on the left-hand side. The plots are newly refurbished, funded by a generous grant from IGas, and have views over the Tillingbourne Valley and North Downs.
Usage
At the time of writing this report, ten of the available plots are rented to local residents. Six remain vacant with demand being low in the area for this type of facility possibly because of the lack of parking on site. Other local allotments (Shere) where accessibility is good are strongly supported. Users of the Albury allotments complain that the lack of parking nearby is a problem and this might impact uptake.
Future Plans
With the exception of ongoing maintenance, there are no plans to alter or upgrade this facility. The shortage of parking on site makes accessibility for users difficult. This could be remedied by parking in Weston Yard. An approach should be made to the Estate.
Albury Recreation Ground - Map location - Number 6
Description of facilities
A small plot of land located and accessed only from Westonfields provides space for a children’s recreation ground with an open space for ball games and a selection of playground equipment. These facilities were updated recently and now include a selection of adults’ outdoor gym equipment.
[Usage]{.underline} Information relating to the use of the facility is not available. The location of the site has been criticised in the past as many people within the parish aren’t aware the recreation ground exists, plus access and parking for the facility is limited due to the existing parking problems relating to Westonfields in general.
Future Plans
With the exception of ongoing maintenance, there are no plans to alter or upgrade this facility.
Provide ongoing maintenance as needed.
Consider designation as Local Green Space as it is a unique facility in the parish
Provide better signage and safe parking nearby.
Riverside Meadow – Albury - Map location - Number 7
Description of facilities
A small plot of land beside the Tillingbourne, located within the Village Hall car park. This tranquil space offers access to green space for families with children to use for relaxation and picnics. There are several picnic benches and tables available to use, with safe access to the Tillingbourne river for small children and toddlers to play in.
Usage
Information relating to the use of the facility is not available.
Future Plans
With the exception of ongoing maintenance, there are no plans to alter or upgrade this facility.
The Old Church of St Peter and St Paul, Albury – Albury Park - Map location – Number 8
Description of facilities
The Old Church in Albury Park is a Grade 1 listed ancient church and churchyard the earliest parts of which date back to Saxon times. Built of stone with flint gemmed walls and set amongst the beautiful Albury Park estate, the interior is uncluttered and light with a flagstone floor. The door dates from the 13th century, a well-preserved painting of St Christopher dates from the 15th, and there is a brass of John Weston who died in 1440.
In 1819, Henry Drummond, the banker purchased the Albury Park estate and engaged Augustus Pugin to convert the house to the Gothic style. The church was closed to public services in the 1840’s which enabled Drummond to commission Pugin in 1839 to design a mortuary chapel in the South Transept. This is lavishly decorated, with stained glass, painted walls and ceiling, a tiled floor, a wonderful example of the Victorians’ taste for richness and colour
Wall painting of St Christopher. Pugin’s Drummond Memorial Chapel
During WW2 it’s believed that Field Marshall Montgomery visited the church in 1944 prior to addressing the Canadian Troops on Albury Heath before their imminent departure for the D-Day landings.
There are extremely limited facilities of any type at the church. No toilet facilities, kitchen or official parking area. It is possible to run in an electricity cable by kind permission of Albury Park Mansion, and for large events Albury Estate may permit the use of the lodge by the Tillingbourne as a washroom.
Forward Plans
The church is a Grade 1 listed building and little development is likely. It is however important to keep it in good order and the ‘Friends’ are currently raising money for the restoration of the Pugin-designed Drummond Chapel, with a target circa £130,000.
The church is vested in the Churches Conservation Trust. A local charity, The Friends of Albury Old Saxon Church, does much on-the-spot care and management, and raises funds for maintenance and improvement.
Usage
The church was once the parish church but is no longer in regular use. It does however receive thousands of visitors a year as a heritage attraction and as a place of beauty and quiet. It continues to host three regular services, at Easter, Midsummer, and Christmas. The annual candlelit carol service is particularly well supported by the local community and from further afield. There are also occasional blessings of marriage and (if a Special Licence can be obtained) marriages. The church also hosts up to half a dozen concerts and events during the year as a community facility and occasionally to raise funds. The church normally features in the Guildford Heritage weekend.
Outside of public use, the church has been used on several occasions as a film set and features on several location service websites.
St Michael’s Church (The Barn Church) – Farley Green - Map location - Number 9
Description of facilities
St Michael’s Church is a converted 19th century barn. The barn was gifted to the Parish of Albury by Clara Courtenay-Wells, to be converted into a church as a memorial to her husband at the expense of the Parochial Church Council for a Chapel of Ease in the Parish of Albury. It was dedicated in 1930.
The interior of the church is made up of a high oak beamed ceiling with oak furniture throughout. On the south wall of the chancel is a tablet “In memory of Clara Courtenay-Wells (1845 - 1948), who gave so much loving care to St. Michael’s Church and unselfish service to Farley Green and the neighbourhood”.
The limited facilities were improved in 2016 by the addition of a kitchenette and a toilet (suitable for disabled) and recladding of much of the exterior. These improvements were arranged by the Friends of St Michael’s, who funded the majority of the work, the remainder being paid for by the PCC. Other changes at this time included removing some of the pews to provide a more flexible space, with chairs available. There is seating for approx. 60 people in various layouts . There is no official car park for the church, although Albury Parish Council may give permission to park on the Green (subject to conditions). More recent changes have included the connection of a mains water supply, and the replacement of the old heaters, again funded by the Friends.
Ceiling at the Barn Church The Barn Church Nativity Reredos
Forward Plans
The Friends are raising funds for the replacement of the roof tiles, the recarpeting of the interior, and works of redecoration, and the PCC will contribute part of the cost.
The legal title is vested in Guildford Diocesan Board of Finance as custodian trustee for the Parochial Church Council, and the PCC is responsible for day to day management and use. A local charity, the Friends of St Michael’s, supports the maintenance and improvement of the building and promotes its local use.
Usage
The PCC and the Friends are in discussion about the future character and use of the church, with a view to retaining it both as a place of worship and a wider asset to the community. Currently there is a weekly service and social gathering (in term time) for pre-schoolers and those who look after them, and intergenerational ‘Messy Church’ bimonthly. Formal services are held at Christmas and Easter and on some other occasions. The building is used for community activities, principally organised by the ‘Friends’, including Art in the Barn, Bubbles in the Barn, and Christmas wreath-making workshops. There are other occasional services and events. During 2018/19 there were monthly films run by a locally based charity.
Albury Sports Club (The Pavilion) - Map location – Number 10
Description of facilities
The Pavilion is the home of the recently renamed ‘Albury Sports Club’. This followed the amalgamation of Albury Cricket Club and The Albury Eagles Football Club.
Cricket was first played at Albury in 1789 when the Earl of Onslow brought over a team to play the village. There is no record of the result, but it is thought the game took place on the other side of the road to the present ground.
In 1985 the Duke of Northumberland granted a long-term lease to the newly formed Albury Cricket Club for the current site. At first games were only played against the closest villages. Even in the 1950’s a player who moved to Gomshall felt he could no longer play for the club as he had “moved out of the area”!
During the 70’s the club started to play league cricket and started a successful climb up through various competitions. We had some notable results in the Surrey evening knock-out competition, the fore-runner to T20 cricket, playing in three finals and winning once.
During the early 2000’s there was a resurgence of junior sport at the club with the creation of a junior cricket club and the emergence of the Albury Eagles junior football club. Both provided coaching and competitive matches in local league to children aged U7 – U18. These proved to be immensely popular and attracted families from a broad group of local schools and villages.
The Friday night junior cricket is very much established as a community event now with families gathering to enjoy a drink, BBQ and watch their young one’s training. From this foundation a number of additional community events have grown including the annual Albury Sports Club dinner dance which is a key fund raiser for the club.
The Albury Sports Club pavilion is a single-story brick-built pavilion that underwent extensive refurbishment in 2020 following the successful application for various grants. The pavilion now provides very modern and updated facilities including accessibile access for the disabled and offers parking on a tarmacked area.
The building has a lovely bar area with pool table, large TV and ample seating, kitchen, male and female toilets and changing facilities for home and away teams and match officials. There is significant parking at the location using open space not designated for playing areas
The site includes:
1 x cricket square
3 x all weather cricket nets
1 x full size football pitch
Several smaller pitches
Ample parking around the pitch.
Well lit, hard standing parking adjacent to the refurbished club
Usage
The club now boasts 400+ active member so the facilities at the Heath are used every weekend of the year either with coaching or competitive matches. During the football season junior training also takes place on Thursday evenings. The success of the club has put significant pressure on the facilities on offer at the Heath with additional space being taken for youth pitches at Tillingbourne school during the football season.
In addition to the sports usage, the cricket ground is also hosts the popular annual Albury Produce Show, Annual Church Tent Service and Albury Music Festival which over recent years has become a key ‘event’ weekend for the local community.
Future Plans
The new Pavilion provides significantly enhanced facilities throughout the building and meets modern standards for providing access to sports for people of all physical ability. It includes a large tarmac car park with secure storage for equipment too.
The club intends to make the facility available for other clubs and users eg Yoga, Personal Trainers, parties, dog walkers meeting for a coffee, etc, but will progress this gradually and will require the blessing of The Albury Estate to ensure it does not breach any lease agreements or planning regulations.
To continue to grow and succeed the sports club needs more pitch space. Currently the club is renting pitches in Shere and Goose Green, neither of which is maintained to a suitable standard by the respective parish councils. Ideally any new space would be as close to the Heath as possible to maximise usage of the new clubhouse facility. Alternatively, could suitable pitch facilities be accommodated as part of an Albury Village Green or elsewhere in Albury?
New Pavilion Plans:
Neighbourhood Plan: Community Facilities - Broadband
Like many rural areas Albury suffers from an unreliable and in some isolated areas very slow internet connections. Despite an upgrade to the network by BT Open Reach and the introduction of BT’s Infinity product, internet speeds still remain slow and use outdated copper wire connections to deliver services into homes and businesses across the parish.
Reliable and fast internet connectivity is a priority for all businesses and increasingly as more people work from home and media gets more gigabit hungry the existing service will not support the needs of homes and businesses moving forward.
This problem has already been identified by a group of volunteers who have set-up a local, independent not-for-profit Community Benefit Society– Broadband for the Surrey Hills (B4SH) to address this issue. B4SH’s goal is to bring hyper-fast fibre optic broadband into homes and businesses across the Surrey Hills. The service is optical fibre to premises (FTTP) – no copper wires, poles or elderly cabinets. The fibre network provides speeds of 1000Mb (1Gig) – up and down the line which is 25 times faster than the best on offer from BT.
Established in November 2017, the group has already successfully connected homes and businesses across the Surrey Hills. Building and managing the network is funded by monies raised via the sales of shares to local investors and volunteer work. The B4SH network began at Silent Pool / Home Farm areas and now extends as far as Shamley Green and Peaslake.
Neighbourhood Plan: Community Facilities – Electric Cars
The Electric Car (EV) market is accelerating in growth and is expected to rise from 3.4% of all vehicles sold in 2019 to 5.5% in 2020 according to forecasts from Bloomberg New Energy Finance. By 2026 EV sales will account for a fifth of sales in the UK.
EV’s are widely acknowledged to have a net positive impact on air quality and climate change. EV adoptions reduces net carbon emissions and has the added benefit of reducing air pollutants, thereby improving public health.
The key barrier to growth for all EVs is the provision of a comprehensive an accessible charging network. At present there are no ‘public’ charging facilities within the parish.
The following locations have been identified as being of a suitable nature to install a ‘Public’ charging point dependant on agreement from the landowners. However, it should be noted that installing public charging points is expensive and without a proper survey it’s not possible to predict whether the power infrastructure in Albury will be sufficient to support high-speed charging. If the Parish wishes to embrace EVs more work will be required to solve the infrastructure issue.
| Location | Map Reference |
|---|---|
| Albury Village Hall – Car Park | 1 |
| The Drummond Arms – Car Park | 2 |
| Albury Sports Club – Car Park | 3 |
| The William IV Pub – Car Park | 4 |
Community Facilities – Summary of findings and recommendations
From the work undertaken to complete this report it’s clear that the parish of Albury already benefits from a wide selection of community facilities or assets which have been established over many years with the support and hard work of many people from within the parish.
Like all assets though they need constant investment and review to ensure they are meeting the needs of the current community and not simply carrying-over legacy needs.
One over-arching recommendation is this that moving forward there is a better promotion of the facilities available to the parish from a central location. As a resident of over 20 years I was surprised to hear there were allotments in the village!
Recommendations:
Parking- is the number one topic that could limit the use or growth of the community facilities. The lack of sufficient parking for the local churches, village hall, village shop, recreation ground, post office, allotments and river-side meadow area.
Village Hall and River-side meadow – the lack of parking for these facilities is limiting factor for their growth. The River-side meadow also suffers from an awareness issue that could be addressed through a central point of promotion as mentioned previously. Investigate possibility of a café.
Bowls Club – this facility does appear to be underutilised. We’d recommend forging closer connections to the club and the wider community that could result in the facility being used by a wider group of people. This could be as a meeting place for new mums, potentially a nursery or for the elderly. It offers easy access and car parking which is limited elsewhere. Open up car parking to the community.
Allotments – these are an undersubscribed facility, with almost 40% of the plots being unused. In the current climate where there is a growth in people taking up gardening and greater interest in food welfare the re-promotion of the allotments would seem to be an obvious win. Parking near to site is necessary.
Recreation Ground – without the provision of better access, signage and parking it’s unlikely this facility will grow in popularity.
Albury Sports Club – this is a real success story and with its new clubhouse has a strong future ahead. Closer contact between the club and the parish council would benefit both parties to help maximise use of the new facility and generate revenue for its upkeep. The fact the clubhouse is new means the building conforms to the latest regulations regarding accessibility, safety and generally high standards of environment to be expected of a new building. The provision of electric car charging points within the car park are the only obvious omission at present.
We understand the Sports Club is keen to look at extending the use of the clubhouse. It would make an ideal meeting place for new mums or for the elderly. It offers easy access to the building and car parking which is limited elsewhere. Plus, access to safe open spaces away from the traffic within the main village.
Additional football pitches on a village green in Albury village or elsewhere within the parish should be investigated as pitches for young players are very limited on site at the club. It will be important to involve the club in the selection of locations as pitch specifications and facilities are controlled by their funding partners .
Super-fast broadband: From a slow start the installation of the B4SH service is growing. The advent of COVID19 has no doubt had a positive impact of the attraction of this service with more residents showing interest than ever before. However, there is still a low level of uptake, and awareness or understanding of scheme is limited. That said, there has been good progress in connecting the village of Albury, and in Farley Green there has been extensive numbers of connections, with more expected to happen during 2023.
Electric Charging Points: to ensure the village remains relevant to the transport needs of the future we need to support the installation of car charging points. Obvious locations for this are:
The Drummond Arms
The Village Hall Card Park
Silent Pool Car Park
Newlands Corner Car Park
Albury Sports Club
Identifying how these points will be funded is a key challenge to overcome.
Tillingbourne Trail: A new facility that would benefit the community and visitors to the area would be an organised walk or trail within the parish. This could take in some of the key points of interest within the parish (Saxon church, Albury Heath, Silent Pool artisan businesses, recreation areas, river-side meadow, Drummond Arms, village shop etc.) and help support some local businesses.
A village green at Malcolm’s Field
This initiative was well supported by 72% of respondents to the Parish Plan questionnaire 2016 and could provide additional junior football pitches that are needed by Albury Sports club.