The villages of Shere and West Clandon in Surrey are said to be struggling with too much car traffic as well as oversized lorries on its narrow roads. This is reportedly causing damage to historic buildings, according to local paper Get Surrey.
County councillor Robert Hughes has highlighted the damage being caused to historic buildings by manoeuvring lorries in Shere. He has called for measures to restrict lorry sizes and access in the villages.
The Healthy Streets for Surrey guide has been put forward as a solution to create “beautiful, resilient and popular streets” that will ultimately require less long-term maintenance.
The guide will need to be inspected against national and local planning policies, planning documents and neighbourhood plans, as well as going through a consultation process before it can be adopted by the district and borough councils responsible for planning.
Councillors from different political parties have expressed concern about the impact of cars and lorries on health and safety, and have called for communities to be involved in the planning process early on.
Local villagers are urging that their streets remain safe for pedestrians and cyclists, and they are asking that lorry drivers take extra care when driving through their village.