Thames Ditton & Weston Green - Residents' Association

Vital Village's Stuff Depot A new Vital Village initiative is being set up - a Stuff Depot. In essence it's a library of equipment that local residents can borrow - to use and then return when they've finished. The premise behind this is that it's wasteful in resource terms for us all to own equipment that we might only use very infrequently. Much better to have some of these available at Vital Village for the whole community to borrow as and when they need them. They are asking the co...

Thames Ditton Pharmacy Petition – Update

Update on the Pharmaceutical Needs Petition for Thames Ditton A huge thank you to everybody who signed the petition about getting the pharmacy reinstated in the village. Together with help from the Thames Ditton Foundation, the Residents' Association achieved the magnificent total of almost 1200 signatures (1190 to be exact) thanks to the tremendous response from the residents and visitors to the village. This is really a magnificent total and will be very useful to encourage and help any ...

Network Rail's digital notification service

Network Rail have announced (below) a new digital notification service regarding engineering works - for people living close to railway lines. Local residents who live near to the railway are set to benefit from a new digital service that will let people know about upcoming railway engineering work, emergency work and get updates about current maintenance and upgrade projects in ‘real-time’. Line-side neighbours living within 500m of a railway line across Network Rail’s Wessex route - ...

Criminality & Fascist vandalism near us

Fascist vandalism on Thames Ditton & Esher Golf Course Surrey Police have advised us of the following criminal activity. You may be aware of an article published in the media regarding a very concerning incident at the above location. Police currently have four recent crime reports dating from November 2024-February 2025 regarding this damage. The other incidents have not involved any racist/anti-Semitic symbols. The local neighbourhood team is aware and we will do what we can to...

Cafe Rouge car-wash application refused

Application 2024/2775 for a temporary car-wash facility in the courtyard area of the old Cafe Rouge site has been refused by Elmbridge Borough Council. The reason for refusal was stated as: The proposed development, by reason of the large and unsightly awnings which would be highly visible within the street scene, would result in material harm to the character of the area, the setting of the locally listed building and the White Lady Mile Marker. The proposed development would th...

Petition to restore a pharmacy to TD

TD & WG RA's Health & Community Convenor, Karen Randolph, has set up a petition for the return of a pharmacy to Thames Ditton - contrary to the recommendation in Surrey County Council's county-wide review, Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment, 2025. Pharmaceutical Needs Assessment for Thames Ditton Petition The PNA is a statutorily required statement of the need for pharmaceutical services across Surrey. It is the responsibility of the Surrey County Council’s Health & Well-bein...

Community Spirit Awards, 2024

Community Spirit Awards, 2024 from Thames Ditton Gin Thames Ditton's Community Spirit awards have been announced. Among the nine worthy winners was the Residents' Association's recently retired magazine editor, Libby MacIntyre. Libby has devotedly edited our quarterly magazine, Thames Ditton Today, for the past ten years - for which we are all very grateful. We welcome our new editor, Paul Ovington, who is taking over from Libby, starting with the Spring 2025 issue. ...

School Crossing Patrol Officer needed

Thames Ditton needs a School Crossing Patrol Officer Surrey County Council is looking to take on more school crossing patrol officers (aka 'Lollipop' men/women). In Thames Ditton one is greatly needed for the Station Road crossing, near the station roundabout - used heavily by children from Thames Ditton Infant School and the Junior School. For many years this crossing was manned devotedly by Andrew James until he very sadly passed away last year. He's been greatly mis...

Congratulations on Al's honours award

Alaa Mohammed Ali Habbooby awarded British Empire Medal in New Years Honours List TD & WG Residents' Association extends its congratulations to Alaa Mohammed Ali Habbooby (known to most here as just Al) on his award of the British Empire Medal for services to the community in Thames Ditton. Al's cheerful and friendly disposition has brightened many people's day at Cafe Noir in Thames Ditton station, and at Thames Ditton Lawn Tennis Club where he continues his coffee-shop service aft...

Ditton Common Woodland Management

Elmbridge Borough Council's recent woodland management in Ditton Common Concern has been expressed by residents at the extent of the clearance by Elmbridge Borough Council (EBC) of vegetation, including some sizeable trees, in the section of Ditton Common east of Hampton Court Way, by the railway line. In social media there has been speculation that it will increase the risk of flooding, and even that it is in preparation for housing to be built on the common. ...

New Aldi plan for Portsmouth Road site

Aldi announce a new plan for their proposed foodstore on the old Guy Salmon site on the Portsmouth Road Following last year's dismissal of their appeal against Elmbridge Borough Council's decision not to permit their 2021 planning application for a foodstore, Aldi are now proposing to submit a new application. The two-storey structure in their previous application has been changed to a single storey - as seen in their computer-generated street view (right and below). As in ...

Milbourne Pond area - Opened up again

Milbourne Pond area opened up once more by local resident volunteers Last Saturday, 9 November, local residents turned out once again for the RA-organised cut-back of the vegetation around Milbourne Pond. Since the pond was reprofiled and restored back in 2018 the vigorous growth, especially pussy willow and brambles has needed cutting back every two years to stop it taking over the area completely. However this past summer has seen even more rapid growth, necessitating another...