Waverley's Executive agreed on 2 November to give Crownpits, Ockford Ridge, Longbourne Green and Combe Road rec to Godalming Town Council, valued at £0.
Four of Godalming’s neighbourhood green spaces are to be handed to Godalming Town Council outright. Waverley Borough Council’s Executive approved the transfers on Monday 2 November.
Updated 7 November: the Executive agreed the four freehold transfers on 2 November, according to its record of decisions. Officers will now negotiate the terms. Nothing can be completed until the West Surrey Shadow Authority gives its consent under section 24, and councillors can call the decision in for scrutiny until noon on Tuesday 10 November.
What the Executive decided
The record lists three resolutions:
- the principle of transferring the freehold of Combe Road Recreation Ground, Crownpits Green, Longbourne Green and Ockford Ridge Green and play area to Godalming Town Council
- delegated authority for the director of assets and property to negotiate and complete the terms “at best consideration”
- no transfer until the West Surrey Shadow Authority consents under section 24, the rule that applies while Waverley is being reorganised
The reasons say the transfers will not cost Waverley any income, and that no grounds maintenance jobs will go, because the staff who look after these sites also work on many others. Officers chose a freehold transfer over a long lease to avoid setting up a landlord and tenant relationship.
What the report said
Officers recommended transferring the freehold of all four. Each has been valued at £0, because the transfer would restrict it to community use. The town council would take over the maintenance, which costs Waverley about £17,800 a year across the four sites (Executive report, 2 November 2026).
The four sites
| Site | Size | What is there | Waverley’s yearly upkeep |
|---|---|---|---|
| Combe Road Recreation Ground, Farncombe | about 3,076 sq m | grass and a small children’s play area | about £3,500 |
| Crownpits Green, Brighton Road, Godalming | about 2,596 sq m | grass and an equipped play area | about £3,000 |
| Longbourne Green, Farncombe | about 4,891 sq m | green with an equipped play area | about £3,800 |
| Ockford Ridge Green, Godalming | about 3,296 sq m | play area and a multi-use games area | about £7,500 |
The sizes and facilities come from the town council’s applications, published with the report. The costs are Waverley’s own estimates.
Why Crownpits matters more than its size
Crownpits Green is the triangle of grass between Brighton Road and Crownpits Lane, in the Crownpits Conservation Area. The town council’s application says the conservation area appraisal records the recreation ground and play park as the first land the Godalming council owned as a public ground, specifically for local children.
What the town council says it would do
Godalming Town Council’s business cases set out a two-year plan for each site. For Combe Road, the first year would include:
- a condition survey of the play area, entrances, boundaries, seating and bins
- immediate safety and minor repairs
- a review of the existing play equipment
- asking residents what they want
The second year looks at surfacing, seating, planting, and outside funding for bigger improvements. The town council’s application notes that the Farncombe Village and Binscombe Community Vision describes the Combe Road play equipment for young children as poor quality, with local requests for an upgrade.
The town council says it has 25 staff, a 2026/27 budget of £1,670,500 and reserves of more than £1.2 million.
Ockford Ridge comes with a building site
Part of Ockford Ridge Green is currently a site compound for the regeneration of the Ockford Ridge council homes. The town council’s application says the compound’s continued use depends on planning application WA/2026/00460.
The report says Waverley is obliged under planning conditions to carry out landscaping on the site, and that the town council understands this will be done as part of the existing permissions.
What happens next
Now that the Executive has agreed, the report sets out these next steps:
- Waverley’s property officers negotiate final heads of terms with the town council.
- The Director of Assets and Property makes the final decision under delegated powers.
- Waverley’s lawyers handle the conveyancing.
- The West Surrey Shadow Executive has to give its consent, because Waverley is being abolished.
The transfers would carry a restriction to community use, and the terms include a right of first refusal if the town council ever wanted to dispose of a site.
The report says the transfers would not cut any grounds maintenance jobs. It also warns that Waverley’s grounds team, brought back in house, “would start to struggle” if more transfers kept taking staff away.
Why the timing is tight
Waverley ceases to exist on 1 April 2027, when West Surrey Council takes over. Earlier transfers have been slow. Godalming’s town clerk told the Executive on 6 October that all nine transfers already approved for Godalming were still outstanding, and that heads of terms for Burys Field took seven months to arrive. We reported the full picture, including Farnham’s eleven waiting transfers, in our story on the stalled handovers.
What it means for you
Nothing changes on the ground straight away. The parks stay open and public. If the transfer completes, the town council, not Waverley, becomes the body to contact about the play equipment, grass cutting and repairs at these four sites.
The town council says it will ask residents about priorities, so if you use one of these play areas, that is the time to say what it needs.
The agenda, the papers and the record of decisions for the 2 November meeting are on Waverley’s meetings site.
Sources
- Waverley Borough Council, Community Asset Transfer Policy: Godalming Town Council application for freehold interest in Combe Road Recreation Ground, Crownpits Green, Longbourne Green and Ockford Ridge Green and Play Area, report to the Executive on 2 November 2026, for the recommendation, the £0 valuations, the maintenance costs, the next steps, the shadow authority consent, first refusal, the staffing warnings, the Ockford Ridge landscaping and the 1 April 2027 vesting day. Read 27 October 2026.
- Waverley Borough Council, Executive agenda reports pack, 2 November 2026, for Godalming Town Council’s business cases and site analyses: the site sizes and facilities, the Crownpits conservation area history, the Combe Road two-year plan, the Ockford Ridge site compound and WA/2026/00460, and the town council’s staff, budget and reserves. Read 27 October 2026.
- Waverley Borough Council, Record of decisions, Executive, 2 November 2026, for the three resolutions, the reasons and the call-in deadline of noon on 10 November. Read 7 November 2026.
- Waverley Borough Council, Questions for the Executive, 6 October 2026, for the Godalming town clerk’s question on the nine outstanding transfers and Burys Field.
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