One of the strongest and longest-established Residents' Associations in England. If you have recently arrived in either the Thames Ditton or Weston Green wards, we offer you a warm welcome and invite you to view or print off our welcome letter. Please Subscribe - it's only £5 and helps to keep this going as well as the community magazine. Click here to learn more about us.

Our next OPEN MEETING is on Tuesday 30th Nov 2021 - 8pm (Vera Fletcher Hall, Thames Ditton, KT7 0LQ). All who live or work in Thames Ditton and Weston Green are welcome. Click here for our Open meeting dates

PrevNext

News Highlights

Local Heritage List - Nominations requested

Highlighting the buildings and landscapes that make Elmbridge special   Residents and local organisations are being asked to offer suggestions for the Local Heritage List, a selection of buildings, other structures and landscapes that are highly valued by the local community. Statues, memorials, sculptures, walls or pieces of street furniture may be nominated for the list. Parks, gardens or other examples of designed landscapes can also be nominated; and even features in the landsca...

Read more

Large flats development allowed - on appeal

Council's decision to refuse planning permission for a large complex of 78 flats on the Hampton Court Industrial Estate (2019/2005) has been overturned, on appeal   We are very disappointed to learn that the Planning Inspector has upheld the appeal against Elmbridge Borough Council's refusal of the above planning application (click here to see our earlier article). The Planning Inspector's lengthy decision notice can be viewed on the Council's website, using the above planning appl...

Read more

Merrywood development may go ahead

The decision to refuse wider easement access over the commons for the Merrywood development has been overturned by the Council.   We have received bitterly disappointing news from Elmbridge Borough Council that Cabinet has voted in favour of varying the easement across the common land, which will allow the access to Merrywood to be widened, thus accommodating the development of the site. Residents will probably be familiar with the background (click here to see article).  Alth...

Read more

A C Court's future? RA asks its owner

Following Elmbridge Borough Council's refusal of the 'Prior Approval' application to convert the A C Court offices into 51 flats, RA Chairman, Graham Cooke, has written to the CEO of Columbia Threadneedle Investments (owner of A C Court, through Threadneedle Property Unit Trust ) to request an indication of how the company now intends to proceed.  Graham's letter is shown below. UPDATE:  Threadneedle have replied - see their response below Graham's letter. ------------------------...

Read more

New benches installed at Milbourne Pond

Enjoy the lovely new hardwood benches just installed on the banks of Milbourne Pond in Weston Green With year-round water in the restored Milbourne Pond, you can now spend some relaxing moments on the two new curved benches, observing pond life and wildflowers or just chatting to friends.  The idea came from the RA's Andrew Roberts who researched the benches and organised their installation, having seen something similar in Home Park.  Funding was provided jointly by TD & WG Res...

Read more

AC Court application refused

The 'Prior Approval' application to convert the AC Court offices into 51 flats has been refused by Elmbridge Borough Council.   Under the new Permitted Development rights brought in by the Government, this application (2021/2556) was not subject to the usual Planning Application procedures.  However, it was subject to national Material Planning Standards, and Elmbridge planning officers determined that it failed in not meeting minimum requirements for space and natural light fo...

Read more

SWR Consultation - RA's response

South Western Railway Timetable Consultation Below is the response submitted by the Residents' Association.  The consultation runs until Sunday 19th September. Response to SWR Timetable Consultation December 2022By Email to: dec22consultation@swrailway.com 1.  Which category would best describe your organisation? Elected representative. I write in my role of the Honorary Secretary of the Thames Ditton & Weston Green Residents’ Association which has a paid-up membership of...

Read more

Aldi proposes new store in Thames Ditton

Aldi are proposing to build a new food store on the old Guy Salmon site on Portsmouth Road, and have opened a public consultation prior to submitting a planning application.   Many people living near Giggs Hill Green will have received a communication from Aldi about their proposed store on what was the Guy Salmon site.  The site is located on the edge of the Conservation Area (part of the site is within the Conservation Area itself) and next door to a Grade ll listed pub, The ...

Read more

Redevelopment of Cafe Rouge site proposed

Planning Application No. 2021/2814 - Cafe Rouge Site, Portsmouth Road   Residents may wish to be aware of an application for the redevelopment of the site on Portsmouth Road, currently occupied by Café Rouge.  The development would consist of a detached seven-storey building comprising flexible commercial or drinking establishment uses on the ground floor and basement level, and up to 38 residential units on upper floors, with associated car parking, cycle storage, refuse/recyc...

Read more

Garden waste collection suspended

All garden waste collection suspended in Elmbridge Due to the national shortage of HGV drivers, Elmbridge Borough Council has suspended all garden waste collection services for the foreseeable future in order to prioritise its core waste services - rubbish and recycling.  This follows the rolling suspension of garden-waste collection services around Elmbridge in August. For further details and explanation of the current situation, go to the Council's web page at:    &nbs...

Read more

SWR Timetable Consultation - Have your say

SWR Timetable Consultation – Make Your Voice Heard As September approaches, employers are increasingly asking workers to come back to the office, with many employers in the City adopting a hybrid system after months working from home. Part-time and flexible working will bring midweek peaks with a Tuesday-Wednesday-Thursday pattern emerging. What does this mean for train commuters from Thames Ditton and Weston Green?  South Western Railway (SWR) has launched a stakeholder consultation on...

Read more

Help for Afghan refugees in Elmbridge

Councils gearing up to co-ordinate support for Afghan refugees arriving in the UK   Recently-arrived Afghan families, having fled their country with few belongings, will have manifold needs for some time to come.  Right now there is a pressing need for accommodation, and in Elmbridge the Council is appealing to those with available property.   Apart from housing, the best way residents can help at this early stage is by making financial donations to local charities t...

Read more

We welcome your support - The Residents' Association is for all residents and those who work in the borough wards of Thames Ditton and Weston Green regardless of party or creed. If you wish to contribute your skills and experience to support the Association in some capacity; if you have articles or photographs that you would like to submit for publication here or in our magazine; or if you would simply like to subscribe to our non profit-making Association, please contact us.

Please vote for Residents' Association candidates in local elections - We should be delighted to receive your support at election times. If you want us to bat for you, you must put us in!  Click here to find out more about why you should consider voting for us.