Chessington & District Residents Association

 

AGENDA

 

For the meeting to be held on Thursday 1st February 2007

 

at St Paul’s Church Rooms at 8pm

 

1.     MINUTES OF LAST MEETING

2.     VISTING MEMBERS QUESTIONS

3.     MATTERS ARISING

4.     NEW ISSUES

5.     PLANNING APPLICATIONS

6.     ANY OTHER BUSINESS

7.     DATE OF NEXT MEETING

 

 

MINUTES

 

Of the meeting held on the 4th January 2007

 

PRESENT

 

Jim Taylor, Chairman

Francis Brannan,  Ray Kelsey,

   Colin Suckling, Brian Gay, Richard Heath, Amanda Birch

Alex Martin,  Les Davis, Peter Alexander, Sue Torrero

 

APOLOGIES

 

 June Kitchener, Ted Farmer,

,Jeremy Naylor. David Tippett-Wilson

 

VISITORS

 

Cllr Patricia Bamford, Kathy Milton, John Hayball

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1. MINUTES OF THE LAST MEETING

 

The minutes of the last meeting were agreed with the following amendment:- 

Re. 3. Matters Arising. G.  An email has been received from Jeremy Naylor correcting the report.  See’ matters arising’ item e  below

 

 

 

2. VISITING MEMBERS QUESTIONS

 

Kathy Milton expressed concern at rumours that either Moore Lane or Buckland School may close.  Councillor Bamford said that the schools do not currently have the required number of pupils. Officers are conducting a feasibility study, including a demographic study of our area, to determine the future of the schools. This has been announced to allay inappropriate rumours.  Kathy responded that a full consultation should be conducted with a wider focus as any changes will affect the future of the whole community. The Chairman said we would look at this topic again in our February meeting and will then, if necessary decide to ask a question at the next Neighbourhood Committee.

 

Kathy drew attention to the staining which has appeared on the new blue panel of the Hook Community Centre.  Councillor Bamford advised that this was currently subject to a technical examination.

 

3. MATTERS ARISING

 

( a ) Further to the attendance of Mr John Carey, planning permission has been granted to develop a livery yard, sand school and stables on the Old Garden Centre site in Clayton Road.

 

(b) Further to Mr Patel the newsagent on Hook Parade being refused an Oyster Card outlet, Councillor Bamford has arranged for RBK Officer Steve Guest to write to TfL asking them to reconsider their decision. A recent article in the Guardian newspaper stated that bus route 71 had the least number of Oyster Card customers.

 

( c ) Further to last months comments on the Primary Care Trust and local health issues:-

·        It is now rumoured that the PCT is considering the sale and leaseback of Surbiton hospital.

·        Headley Court is purely a rehabilitation centre.  If patients require any intravenous drug injections etc., the patient has to go to Epsom Hospital for treatment.  This will cause a problem if Epsom Hospital is closed.

 

 

( d )   Further to the report on the need to rebuild the crossroads at Malden Rushett the number of plans and alternative schemes proposed over the years was discussed.  The failed schemes date back for nearly 30 years.  The meeting thought that there is little chance of a new scheme being built in the foreseeable future.

 

( e ) Further to the report from Malden Rushett on spoil dumping at the top of CWA’s south car park .Jeremy Naylor writes that the issue of spoil dumping at CWA has not been satisfactorily resolved.  “they have yet to identify the planning permission which relates to this work and there are no safety signs whatsoever in the field.  In addition the increased spoil now appears to have altered the water run off at the bottom of the field, in that it is now even more like the Somme circa 1914 than it was previously around the pond and Jubilee Woods and the bottom of the South Field”. 

 

( f ) Further to our advertisement in Chessington Chat we have received one new member.  Sue is checking the website to see if there was an increased number of ‘hits’.  We will advertise in the April edition of the magazine.

 

 

 

4. NEW ISSUES      

 

( a ) The social and ecological impact of the proposed  housing development at

71, Leatherhead Road was discussed. 

·        Kathy confirmed reports that had been sent to the committee that the site might contain bat roosts.  Councillor Bamford said that the site had been searched and that none had been found.

·        Kathy said that ideally the land should be bought and given to the adjacent schools to provide outdoor areas for the pupils.  This was, she said, a great necessity for Chessington Community College where there are 700 students with very little outdoor recreational space.  She asked if it would be possible for the land to be bought by compulsory purchase by RBK.  Councillor Bamford responded that she would discuss this idea at a meeting she would be holding next week with the Director of Education.

·        The meeting subsequently discussed if there was any public body or organisation that we could approach for funding to buy the land.  A number of organisations were mentioned.  It was thought that any requirement for matched funding would be a problem. This issue needs to be further discussed at next months meeting.

 

( b) Residents of 76, Leatherhead Road are driving across the footpath to access their property as there is no cross over.  Mud etc. is being brought onto the footpath making it slippery.  Councillor Bamford said she would deal with this issue.

 

( c )  Comments were made that the interior of the Hook Community Centre looks good.  It was regretted that the Hook parking consultation will not be completed before the centre opens. 

 

( d )  The Merritt Health Centre will have a pharmacy which will be operated by the company which now owns the health centre.  Initially it will be located in an armour plated caravan in the car park but will subsequently move to rooms in the centre.

 

( e )  The meeting discussed changes to the law which now more fully supports travellers residing in their chosen location even if that conflicts with local planning regulations. It is thought that this will directly affect our community. 

 

( f )  Ray Kelsey had witnessed an incident when a bus driver refused to allow five youths to board his bus and had heard the driver resolve the situation by calling the police.  This confirms the statement made at the last Safer Neighbourhood meeting that the police will actively support bus drivers and passengers suffering any harassment. This was an issue raised by this committee with the Safer Neighbourhood team and at the Community & Police Partnership.

 

 

 

 

5.  PLANNING APPLICATIONS

 

Planning Applications Decided in December.

 

( a )  The Amy Woodgate Alzheimer Centre in Nigel Fisher Way was permitted.

 

New Planning Applications in December.

 

( a )  (06/10321)  Chessington Nursery, Leatherhead Road –

Alex said that this was essentially the same as the previous proposals with some minor tweaking plus an environmental impact assessment. The project details have been gone through exhaustively with RBK planners during the last 18 months at enormous expense to the garden centre. 

There will be better and safer entrance and exit arrangements onto the Leatherhead road.  The road will be slightly widened and a right turn lane created for south bound traffic.

The garden centre is a major employer in our community with currently 150 employees.  When the new project is built the garden centre expect to employ up to 100 more people.

There is a small exhibition adjacent to the check out at the garden centre showing plans and describing the new development.

The meeting was disappointed that there has been no provision made by TfL for a bus stop adjacent to the Garden Centre.  We think that the bus stops at Malden Rushett and at CWA are too far from the garden centre and that in support of developing a green travel plan and the convenience of bus travellers wanting to visit the garden centre an extra bus stop should be created.

We will support this planning application with this proviso on TfL.

 

( b )  Unit 1, Industrial Site, Hook Rise South – An application has been received to increase the opening hours from 5am to 8pm weekdays and from 10am to 6pm on Sundays.

We will oppose this application on the grounds of the possible disturbance to adjacent residents.

 

 

PLANNING NEWS

 

·        There is currently no Enforcement Officer employed by RBK’s planning department.

·        Chessington Equestrian Centre, a mound of possibly contaminated earth is to be investigated.

·        The Fengate fencing site on the Leatherhead Road is rumoured to have been bought by the Lidl Supermarket Group.  No planning application has been lodged.

·        Kebab Shop on the Leatherhead Road, we have received no news of the progress of their appeal.

·        The Leatherhead Road immediately above the Star Public House was partly reconstructed and resurfaced.  However, there are continuing drainage problems and gardens continue to be flooded.  There is a dispute between TfL, Thames Water and RBK as to the cause and responsibility.  Residents have given an ultimatum to Thames Water to meet and form an agreement to resolve the problem within 30 days or face possible legal action. 

 

There was no other business.

 

The date of the meeting will be held on Thursday 1st February 2007.