TV celebrity and vice president of the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) Alan Titchmarsh has called for Government compensation over ‘huge losses’ caused by ongoing roadworks at Junction 10 of the M25, which are now set to miss their end date this summer.
The RHS charity said there had been a drop of around 350,000 people a year visiting the nearby RHS Garden Wisley since the works began. To date this has resulted in losses of £6m, resulting in less funding for projects in scientific research, community outreach and education, it claimed.
It added that its losses could rise to £11m when the scheme, which was due to be completed this summer, ends in 2026.
Mr Titchmarsh CBE said: ‘These losses are catastrophic not only for the RHS, but for the whole of the UK in terms of the incredible work the RHS does to help people and planet, and educating and supporting millions of gardeners to garden more sustainably for a better future.’
National Highways said it had experienced delays in 2024 following challenges with utility diversions and weather conditions and that it ‘remains fully committed to completing the work as soon as possible’.
‘We are continuing to engage with RHS Wisley on their concerns. This important project will reduce congestion, improve safety, and bring economic and environmental benefits to the local community,’ a senior official at the national operator said.
The RHS said that since the scheme began in September 2022 ‘dozens of road closures’ and significant disruption and traffic issues had dramatically reduced visitor numbers to the garden, with an overall 25% reduction and a £1m impact on membership income.
It added that – as reported by Highways – its 2023 Festival of Flavours event was cancelled, resulting in a £50k loss and when the event returned in 2024 visitor numbers were down by 34% compared to 2022.
The RHS Wisley Flower Show achieved 31% fewer visitors in 2024 compared to 2022, and its winter illumination event RHS Glow was down by 50% in 2024 against 2022, resulting in a £360k loss in income.
The RHS said nearly 80% of members who visited Wisley less frequently in the last 12 months attributed this to the works, while 63% of non-visiting members in this period attributed not visiting RHS Wisley for the same reason.
It called on Government intervention for compensation to enable projects that are now ‘at risk’ to proceed.
RHS director general Clare Matterson CBE said: ‘At the time of granting consent to the scheme, the secretary of state reviewing the Planning Inspectors' decision assessed that the RHS had a case, but that we were overstating the heritage and economic harm, and that it would be short lived and insubstantial.
‘Today we can now evidence that the harm is exactly as we predicted.’
Ms Matterson also criticised the new road layouts implemented as part of the scheme under which previous access to Wisley both off and onto the A3 at the old Wisley Lane (pictured) was permanently closed, meaning that vehicles on the London-bound A3 have to continue to Junction 10 and double back onto the A3 in the opposite direction.
She said: ‘While we’re grateful for the new road and the positive difference it is now beginning to make following months of disruption, going back to our original objections it continues to be a flawed solution that increases car miles around Junction 10 by some one million kilometres per annum, affecting the Special Protection Area.
‘We continue to believe circular routing could have been avoided, saving these increased car miles, by creating slip roads off the A3.’
This weekend saw a full weekend closure of the A3 in both directions between the Junction 10 interchange and Send B2215/A247 for the installation of the Cockcrow Bridge – the UK’s first heathland bridge.
