ANGRY Haslemere residents are calling for a public consultation before Waverley makes Weyhill's free Fairground car park a pay and display facility.

The unsurfaced area of borough council-owned common land near the railway station is a popular parking spot for commuters and a £325,000 scheme has been drawn up by the borough council to make the site a permanent car park for 130 vehicles, which is due to go to committee at the end of April.

A recommendation to resurface the site and introduce charges was agreed by Waverley last October as part of its borough-wide review of parking tarrifs.

The council said it had been granted permission by the Department of the Environment to refurbish the existing car park on common land but residents are not convinced it has the necessary legal authority.

For full story, see this week's Haslemere Herald.