Surely, no story has taken up more column inches in the Herald over the years than the East Street/Brightwells situation?

Personally speaking, and although the scheme has often been denounced and unloved, I hope that Farnham residents can now look forward rather than back.

I’m reminded of the catchy song by Monty Python, ‘Always look on the bright side of life’, and its opening verse:

Some things in life are bad,

They can really make you mad,

Other things just make you swear and curse.

When you’re chewing on life’s gristle,

Don’t grumble, give a whistle,

And this’ll help things turn out for the best,

So, always look on the bright side of life!

Whenever I visit the excellent Reel cinema, or walk through Brightwells Yard, I keep thinking the area has so much potential, especially as a community focal point.

I wish Farnham’s newest development all the best for the future, as I do in a fast-changing world for all the shops and businesses on our patch. And I hope that someday soon the former Woolmead site will unfold into something we can be proud of.

As a fan of Farnham my hope is that, however tempting it might be to shop online or shop or spend our leisure time in other towns, the best quality of life outcome for our residents is to support local business and create a buzz in our own town.

David Gill

Glorney Mead

Farnham

It was very interesting to read the Peeps into the Past story ‘When nuclear weapons made their way through cannonball corner’ (Herald and Post, June 19).

Our family home is just on the southern edge of Selborne on the B3006 and I can remember my brother hearing a commotion from the lay-by outside the bedroom window one night.

He woke Mum and Dad and they all witnessed a group of nuclear bomb protesters, we think from Greenham Common, in lively conversation with the drivers of a huge transporter.

It was taking a very big nuclear bomb being driven towards the A3 Portsmouth Road.

The section of road south from Selborne had been straightened in preparation for the nuclear transports by cutting down a venerable copse called The Beeches on a corner just outside the village.

I'm not sure of the exact date but it was an unforgettable event for my brother, mum and dad.

Gwyneth Rushton

Ketchers Field,

Selborne

Some 1,200 houses are approved or have applications registered within South Medstead and Four Marks. This represents a 40 percent increase in population, but with no increase in roads, services, utilities, infrastructure for people to use.

If all these are built out, the two villages face extreme cumulative harm - flooding, traffic, utilities problems, congestion, social cohesion. The village is already being stressed to its infrastructure limits, as acknowledged during the last Local Development Plan analysis by East Hampshire District Council (EHDC), so this influx of new development will carry it far beyond any reasonable point.

EHDC has not indicated that they recognise the potential for massive cumulative harm outlined in this document and use this to refuse applications making up the total of 1,200 houses. Unplanned, speculative development is a harm, in and of itself.

EHDC seem to have no strategy to be confident refusing any speculative application at present, without fear of appeal. This lack of such a strategy is about to allow the infliction of enormous and irreversible harm on South Medstead and Four Marks.

We have so many speculative applications coming forward to Four Marks and Medstead that their combined impact will/is causing cumulative harm and it is significant.

The pressure and strain on local services, the A31, and the utilities is going ballistic. For example our analysis for the Alton Sewage Works shows it is or will be over capacity, leading to overspill in the River Wey.

We have requested for EHDC to review and explain their strategies for handling the tilted balance, sustainability and cumulative harm, so that refusals can be robustly defended against appeals if necessary.

The time to act is now.

Dr Arthur Barlow

Chair

Fight4FourMarks

With regard to your recent article on the University for the Creative Arts (UCA) Grad Show 2025 (Herald online, June 16), which described the event as “highlighting the pinnacle of its students’ artistic achievements and creative vision”.

As a graduating student at UCA Farnham, I feel it’s important to offer a more balanced perspective—particularly regarding the graphic design section of the exhibition, which, unfortunately, left some students feeling disappointed in how their work was displayed and promoted.

While some students were given large, high-traffic spaces, premium visibility, and enhanced lighting, often near entrances or central walls, others were placed in smaller, less prominent areas with limited space. This variation in presentation created the impression that not all students were given the same opportunity to showcase their work.

This disparity had a noticeable effect on how certain projects were perceived by guests, industry professionals, and the wider community. For many students, it felt like a disheartening end to three years of intense study and creative growth.

I believe it’s important that the community understands that, behind the polished public celebration, not all students felt their work was represented as fully as it could have been. A number of students have already raised this feedback formally with the university, in the hope of encouraging improvements in future years.

Thank you for your continued coverage of Farnham’s creative scene, and for making space for this important conversation.

A former UCA Farnham student

Name and address supplied