Residents and stakeholders only have a few days left to have their say on a new framework that will guide future town centre development.

The comprehensive Woking Town Centre Masterplan consultation closes at midnight, Monday 17 October 2022.

The Masterplan will establish an overarching vision for Woking town centre that will enable design-led, sustainable development, such as new homes that meet the needs of residents, a thriving retail and business environment, as well as strengthening Woking’s cultural and leisure offer.

The much anticipated annual Diwali Lantern Parade returns to Woking town centre next week (Thursday 20 October) in a celebration of new beginnings, good versus evil and the triumph of light over dark.

Meaning the festival of lights, Diwali is celebrated by Hindus, Sikhs and Jains around the world and Woking is home to a colourful parade of its own.

Local residents and visitors are invited to join in the celebrated lantern parade from 6pm, Thursday 20 October in Gloucester Square (outside Woking Civic Offices).

Online High Street is an e-commerce platform which aims to help local shops, small stores and home businesses sell their products online.

Customers can now order their favourite local products from the comfort of their own home and collect their order in store or have everything delivered at once thanks to Online High Street’s low-emission delivery service.

Online High Street boasts the best products from Woking’s high street which include fresh produce, essentials, treats and gifts.

Have your cake and eat it too - shop now at Online High Street!

People living in hard to heat homes could receive grants between £10,000 and £25,000 to improve insulation and install renewable technology - helping to save energy, reduce emissions and combat rising energy prices.

Improvement measures include loft insulation, cavity and external wall insulation, underfloor insulation and renewables, such as solar electricity panels.

Church Path in Woking town centre has reopened to pedestrians. Access to businesses has been fully restored.

Over the weekend, scaffolding was erected on site to create a safe passage for pedestrians.

Officers continue to monitor the building and we continue to liaise with Kier, who managed the refurbishment of the building, and their consultant to understand more about the failure and what actions are needed.

We would like to thank members of the public and businesses for their cooperation during the closure.

Following the closure of Church Path in Woking town centre on Wednesday (5 October) afternoon, due to an exterior panel becoming dislodged from Albion House, our initial investigations are complete.

Scaffolding is being erected on site that will create a safe passage for pedestrians and allow Church Path to reopen. It is expected that these works will be completed by Tuesday 11 October 2022. Access to businesses along Church Path will be assessed once these works are complete. If it is safe to do so, public access to some businesses may be achieved earlier.

Woking residents and families are invited to have their say on improvements to play areas at Horsell Moor and Oakfield in Goldsworth Park.

In partnership with play provider, KOMPAN, Woking Borough Council has developed exciting proposals for new equipment at both sites.

The upgrade will bring a much needed face-lift to the area, providing a range of challenging and inclusive equipment, including multi-play units, swings and seesaws. This will offer a variety of play activities for children of different ages and abilities to have fun.

We are aware that an exterior panel from Albion House became dislodged and landed in Church Path (Woking Town Centre) earlier today.

As a precaution and, to ensure the safety of pedestrians, we have taken the decision to close Church Path. As the owners of Albion House, we have contacted specialist contractors to inspect the building, before we can put the necessary safety measures in place to allow the reopening of Church Path.

Businesses impacted by the closure have been notified and some will remain closed whilst inspection of the building continues. 

Today [Monday 3 October] two planning applications have been submitted to the Local Planning Authority (LPA) to propose temporary and permanent access road arrangements for the Downside Goods Yard in Woking Town Centre. 

A temporary access road via York Road and Bradfield Close and a permanent access road via the existing access in Guildford Road are proposed.

Organisations from across Woking joined together for a special summit on Tuesday (27 September), as part of a pledge to support residents through the current cost of living crisis.

The summit was organised by Woking Borough Council following a unanimously agreed Notice of Motion by Leader of Woking Borough Council, Cllr Ann-Marie Barker, at July’s council meeting.

The collaborative event saw a wide range of partners share experiences and ideas that support the development of an action plan to help anyone affected by the cost of living crisis.

Nominations for the 2022 Sport Woking Awards opened this week (Monday 26 September 2022).

The annual awards scheme recognises the wealth of sporting talent within the borough and celebrate those who play a vital role in helping others to achieve their personal best.

From top performing athletes to Sunday morning volunteers, this year there are eight award categories to reflect the borough’s diverse sport and fitness scene:

A new hoarding protocol has been developed and adopted by Woking Borough Council in collaboration with a number of partner organisations, providing guidance to staff working with people experiencing hoarding behaviours.

Hoarding is classified as a mental disorder, defined as the excessive collection and retention of materials to the point it impedes a person’s day to day functioning. As well as the more widely known hoarding of objects, such as clothes, newspapers or food, hoarding can also refer to the collection of animals or data.