Over the last two years Jeremy Hunt and Pat Frost have campaigned and been working with South West Trains to formulate and agree an action plan that would provide the extra parking spaces needed by people using the busy station.
Jeremy Hunt, MP for South West Surrey commented: “This is great news for Farnham residents and commuters. Alongside Pat Frost I have been working hard to bring this about as we all saw the need for the extra spaces. The other important point is that the design for the new car park will include provision of a separate in/out entrance which should ease access and congestion.
“The new car parking is important for Farnham but at the same time, the structure needs to fit in with the town’s vision and needs from an aesthetic point of view.” Jeremy Hunt added.
The new, single decked car park will provide 183 additional spaces. The new ‘deck’ will cover the existing car park, and will also offer improved security with upgraded CCTV cameras and new lighting.
Works are scheduled to start on 18th April 2016 and are expected to be finished by the end of summer.
Whilst construction work takes place, the existing main car park will need to be closed with the smaller car park, adjacent to platform 2, remaining open. South West Trains will be carrying out an extensive information campaign advising passengers of alternative arrangements during the works.
Surrey County Councillor, Farnham Central, Pat Frost said: “Having initiated this idea and worked on it for several years, I am delighted it is now going to happen, this really is a good news story. It is very important to the local residents who have to suffer problems with on street commuter parking, that more provision is made for the commuters on site at the station. There will be problems during construction, but I have met with the Constructors and will be meeting with local stakeholders to ensure that as far as possible all possible difficulties are minimised”
Alistair Wright, Head of Station Property for South West Trains, said: “We’re investing significantly in our car parks over the next year, and providing extra car parking spaces where they are needed the most.
“With over 1.6 million passengers now using Farnham station every year, it’s vital that there is enough space for people to park. Improving the car parking capacity at this station has been a key priority for us and it’s great news that Farnham station will be one of the eight stations to benefit from our multi-million pound car park investment programme.”
South West Trains announced in 2015 that it would be investing £50 million in customer improvements across the network as part of an agreement with the Department for Transport. This significant investment will see around 1400 extra car parking spaces introduced across eight key stations.