Surbiton Road closed
from RBK Highways at 13.43 today
Police and Fire Brigade are currently dealing with a fire at premises on Surbiton Road, Surbiton.
Surbiton Road Closed from the junction of Penrhyn road to Surbiton Hill Road, all traffic is being diverted along Surbiton Road towards Portsmouth Road.
Delays Expected
THE ROAD IS NOW RE-OPENED
Cycle owners please note
There’s a comment in Recent Comments from John McIntyrewhich includes a lead on registering bikes. All cyclists please read it and act on it in your own best interests, and thank you. John, for bringing it to our notice!
Gardens no longer to be ‘brown’
It may be of interest to many Surbiton Hill residents that Communities Minister Greg Clark has pledged to reclassify as ‘green’ gardens
currently categorised as brownfield sites – a planning category also used for old industrial sites that gives more leeway for development. Zac Goldsmith MP (Con. Richmond Park) described the current system as ‘’totally undemocratic.’ He argued houses should be built on empty sites and at a balance needed at local level so the need for housing was weighed against the need for democracy and what people wanted.
Kingston Council some time ago voted unanimously to resist the increasing trend towards ‘garden grabbing’ for development and Southborough residents will recall that the ‘brown field’ designation of gardens played a major role in the Sunrise appeal.
Read a more detailed article on this on the ‘Planning Portal‘.
Cycle thefts from station
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From RBK sources
Cycle theft from Surbiton station is so high that it has topped a table of year on year rises in bike thefts. A British Transport Police table, containing 25 of the highest cycle thefts reporting stations during 2009/10 placed Surbiton at number 2. There were 44 thefts reported in that period. Norbiton also made the table, at number 9, with 16 reported thefts. The figures emerged in the Mayor of London’s new cycle security plan that aims to reduce the risk of bikes being stolen or vandalised. South West Trains recently moved to improve security at the station by installing a secure cycle compound. It was welcomed by commuters, but there have been complaints that early commuters cannot access the compound, so are parking further away using street parking and putting their bikes at risk.
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Gas works affect A3
The following circulation received today from Transport for London. Delays likely along the A.3. northbound
Please be advised that SGN have Gas Mains replacement to carry out on Upper Richmond Road, from the Junction of Putney Hill to Dryburgh Road .Upper Richmond Road will be One way(East Bound only) as there will be a West Bound Road Closure in place at the junction of Putney Hill.
There will be a pre-diversion in place that will divert traffic via West Hill, Kingston Road & Roehampton Lane to rejoin Upper Richmond Road at this junction.
The works are due to start on 05/07/10 and will run for approx 16 weeks at this location.
This will obviously cause delays on all the roads directly affected, but also the roads on the approach to
Upper Richmond Road
West Hill
Wandsworth High Street
East Hill
Huguenot Place
North Side Wandsworth Common
Upper Richmond Road West
A240 traffic lights
This was sent out this morning. There may still be a problem but I hope not.
I have just received a report from the Contact Centre at the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames that the traffic lights at Kingston Road, Tolworth(A240) at the junction with Jubilee Way are out of order.
The defect has been confirmed by Transport for London (Signals). An engineer is on way to repair.
Delays possible.
Accident A3 southbound
From RBK Highways
Information received from Transport for London
Selected Event Details
| Id | Type | Category | Severity | Origin | CCTV No. | Site No. |
| 179377 | UPDATE | ACCIDENT | SERIOUS | LSTCC | 23/544684 |
On MALDEN WAY / A3 (KT3) between MALDEN ROAD / A3 (KT3) and KINGSTON BY PASS (KT2,SW15,KT9,KT6,KT5,KT3,SW20)
Southbound direction.
Starting 08-JUN-2010 : 08:57.
The A3 is reduced to one lane.
PUBLIC UPDATE: 08-JUN-2010 09:19 Lanes 2 & 3 now open southbound, with emergency services still dealing in lane 1. Traffic still very congested from Shannon Corner.
Summer activities for children
From RBK website:
Summer activities for young people unveiled
Kingston Council has unveiled the full range of courses and activities that will be available to young people and families during the summer holidays.
The Summer Activities 2010 brochure provides information about how to get involved with a huge range of holiday courses and sessions being provided this summer for young people under the age of 19.
With a massive range of options throughout the summer months, from sport to film-making and cookery classes, there is something on offer in the Royal Borough to suit every family. Many of the activities on offer are low cost and some are even FREE!
The brochure also contains useful information about finding holiday childcare. You can also contact the Families Information Service on 020 8547 6582 for a full list of holiday play schemes and childminders who provide holiday care and for a list of physical activities for disabled children and young people that take place during and outside the school holidays.
Councils to publish expenditure
Forwarded by Cllr. Ken Smith
5 June 2010 01:02am
Town halls have been told to publish details of every item of expenditure over £500 to remove the “veil of secrecy” over the finances of local authorities.
Local Government Secretary Eric Pickles wrote to all councils demanding that such spending should be made available to the public on the internet by September.
Local authorities are also urged to publish senior staff salaries, councillors’ expenses and service data such as council tax collection rates.
Mr Pickles said greater transparency would help ensure that money was better spent by allowing taxpayers to scrutinise how it was being used.
“There is a need to banish the veil of secrecy and revolutionise local government,” he said. “Local people should be able to hold politicians and public bodies to account over how their hard-earned cash is being spent and decisions made on their behalf.
“They can only do that effectively if they have the information they need at their fingertips.”
He said that the public should be able to see what they were getting for their taxes.
“The swift and simple changes we are calling will unleash an army of armchair auditors and quite rightly make those charged with doling out the pennies stop and think twice about whether they are getting value for money,” he said.
The move is part of a wider Government drive to improve transparency about how taxes are spent.
On Friday, the Treasury released the Combined On-line Information System – known as Coins – which gives a detailed breakdown of public spending decisions over the past five years. It is one of a raft of Whitehall databases David Cameron has ordered to be made public as part of the new coalition Government’s commitment to greater openness.
New CornerHOUSE page.
We have always wanted to support our very own local live theatre and meeting place. We held the early meetings of EBRRA there and, in February, Surbiton Hill Conservatives held a very well attended bingo night at the venue.
We would like to publicise the events that take place there, organised by the Corner House itself, as widely as possible. Therefore we have created a page on this site where their newsletters can be accessed in .pdf format.
Bin collections this week
Please remember that, in spite of the Bank Holiday tomorrow, waste and recycling will be collected on the normal days this week.
Planning outcome: 2 Oakhill Road
I am indebted to Graham Goldspring of OADRA and Tregenna RA for this transcript of the decision reached.
Below is a direct transcript from the Planning Officer’s report and planning late material
The application was refused for the following reasons:
1. The proposed development would require tree removal and substantial crown reduction and lifting to remaining trees on and close to the site. This would harm the appearance and amenity value of the trees and the character and appearance of the Oakhill Conservation Area contrary to policies BE3 and BE9 of the Royal Borough of Kingston Unitary Development Plan (UDP) First Alteration 2005
2. The proposed siting of the refuse and recycling enclosure would not be conveniently sited for the residents of No2 Oakhill Road and would be a prominent feature of the street scene that would be likely to harm the character and appearance of the Oakhill Conservation Area contrary to policies MW1 and BE3 of the UDP First Alteration 2005
3. Additional reason for refusal:
It is noted that a previous application 08/16540/FUL was refused by the Surbiton Neighbourhood Planning Committee (13 May 2009) for the following reason:
The proposal by reason of its size and scale would be unsympathetic to the character and scale of the host property and the character and appearance of the Oakhill Conservation Area in general. The proposal would therefore be contrary to policies BE3 and BE11 of the UDP First Alteration 2005
On further consideration of the merits of the scheme and given that aside from some internal changes and proposed changes to the car parking arrangements, the scheme has not substantially changed from the original proposal as previously refused on 2 June 2009. It is therefore recommended that this reason for refusal is added in addition to the existing reasons, on grounds of design and appearance.
It was further pointed out that I had requested a TPO be processed on the trees when an earlier application was refused last year. The Committee agreed. Officers revealed that nothing had been done to process this in the intervening period. No explanation of this inaction was forthcoming!
Surbiton Neighbourhood Committee
The first meeting of the new quadrennium takes place tomorrow, Wednesday 26th May at Dysart School Ewell Road.
The businees of the meeting starts with Question Time at 7.30 but the plans for a new Primary School in Surbiton are on display from 6.30.
OADRA: Comet catches on!
By Louise Robertson of the Surrey Comet.
Oakhill residents are invited to join a new residents’ association in a bid to find a true, community voice.
The non-political group’s main concern is development – the Surbiton Hospital site and the subsequent redevelopment of the Oakhill Health centre site in particular.
A spokesman for Oakhill and District Residents’ Association (OADRA) said: “There are misgivings about the proposal to build a primary school on the residue land next to the new polyclinic.
“It seems this is being put out for consultation when planning is already under way.
“It is understood that alternative uses for the site have not been seriously considered.”
They said one consultation survey revealed that only 11 per cent of those who responded agreed with the site being used for a school, and mooted the alternative ideas of sheltered housing or a residential care home in the area.
OADRA has been active since January, but would like more people to get involved.
The next meeting is on Thursday, May 27, at 8pm, in Surbiton Baptist Church, Langley Road.
Residents from Kingsdowne Road, odd numbers, Ewell Road, even numbers, South terrace, Glenbuck Road, South Bank and the Upper Brighton Road, even numbers, are all welcome at the meeting.
The creation of OADRA was greatly fostered by us as Councillors. It arose from some genuine needs explored by us with residents over the last couple of years. Pleas support it!
New Group on Facebook
We have established a new group on Facebook, called Surbiton Hill Forum, to enable those with a genuine interest in Surbiton Hill to meet and discuss matters in confidence.
Prospective members will need a Facebook account to join.
