Residents' Association Forum

Are there any seats or maybe areas where seats could be allocated by the Thames?

The only area I could find is below the footbridge to the island, sacrificing 1 space

Hi - the short answer is yes loads.

Are you talking about just our village?

In which case you have the riverside pubs like the Albany and the swan.

Seating to me includes river banks and you have the Albany reach. If you want benches well that's on the reach as well.

That's all public and available to all but you also have the bank side all the way pretty much from Surbiton to Kingston (and again benches).

If you want to sit on the river (much better in my view than sitting next to it!) - then lots of options in terms of public slipways etc.

Does that address your question?

Apologies I have to admit apprehension as I respond as some of your posts are a little troll-esque. The randomness of one or two in particular.

I have to confess I was close to not responding but in good faith if you are genuinely looking at ways to enjoy being close to the river and have not found any of the above (plus a multitude of other options) then I am more than happy to help.

And happy to also identify other areas too!

There is also seating along Ditton Reach between the bottom of Ferry Road and the Ajax Sea Scouts.

Plenty of places to sit as the other chaps have mentioned above. Why would you want to sit on a bench on the slipway next to a load of parked cars when the pub has really nice seating 20 feet away?

I presume, if you wish to sit in a pub, you should buy a drink or too.

Compared to molesey or Teddington, there are very open spaces here for the public to enjoy!! - the largest space I can see from google earth is the Home of Compassion, has the residents association approached them in regards to public use?

Ditton Reach has good views, I agree.......Albany reach is a little bland

Home of Compassion is currently a building site - not much chance for R&R there!

And when it is finished it will be a nursing home again, so they won't want the general public wandering about their private gardens, at the very least for the security of residents.

Albany reach has possibly the nicest stretch of view on the river in my book - watching the evening sun shine on Hampton court palace in particular has to be one of my favourite views.

Each their own though - I have never heard it called 'bland'.

but surely it's better than the view from under the footbridge ?

And if it's the view from Ditton reach well you have the whole stretch from Portsmouth road at Surbiton down to Kingston - lots of benches there.

The best and well free river views are available on the river itself! Have a read of my thread on the number of ways to get yourself on the river!

I think with Giggs Hill Green, Ditton Reach,  Colets Fields, Weston Green, the area around Marneys and finally Albany Reach (which I can't see how you could call bland with trees, river, Hampton Court Palace, and seating), we are pretty well covered, that's before you talk about Long Ditton Rec and Summer road. Odd thread tbh

Only if you live in the island or river roads - it may appear odd.

I would love to have a river view but can't afford £1mil  plus

Albany reach l agree is good for a Winters walk but not long enough other times - it will be good to have access into Molesey for run etc but railway bridge in the way!

Not if you looped around it, back onto summer road then along Hampton Court way, across the bridge and do the entire barge walk to Kingston, then get a tourist boat back to Hampton Court and walk home from there, all bases covered

Yes, lve done that loop on bike many times, a bit of an effort running.

Apart from Albany Reach l can't see many flats on the river around here.

Yes, but isn't that what gives Thames Ditton the village-like atmosphere that makes it such an attractive place to work, live in and visit?

There are hundreds of flats down the river in Kingston and beyond with more being thrown up every day.

agreed.

For what purpose? There is a Public slipway a few hundred metres away?

As you have already suggested sitting under a bridge is a little strange - the bf slipway I believe has seats etc

- people may be willing to pay to have access and to sit by the river to read a book etc

OK, I've deleted the fractious posts beginning with the needling by roadrunner.  Do play nicely.

I can add that a few years ago, when relations with developers Caring Homes were good, I did raise the question in an Open Meeting of approaching them with the idea of creating a small triangle of raised bank next to the slipway by the Swan, for a bench for residents of both the Home and the village to sit by the river.  That was at the time when the wall was crumbing and in need of immediate repair.

There was no interest.

Keith, a complex one to implement. Also, note that the EA imposed a condition that they need an 8 metre buffer zone between from the river bank. This will be planted  with wild grasses etc.

should look very pleasant

Apart from the private moorings at Boyle farm - what else are Carings due to offer......l presume they have a section106 for such a large development.

Infrastructure is a very loose term and the RA should l feel be more commercial in its dealings with the council.

The hospital site and the houses across the round - where was that money allocated?? 

A triangular river area - is a good idea for the village

I don't recall that an 8 metre buffer zone of wild grasses was required when the private slipway for Boyle Farm Estate residents was put in by Caring Homes!

That might have something to do with the CH site being 60 metres wide and the BF site being 5 metres wide!

I wondered where the grass would go too!

My proposed seating area by the slipway would have been about 5 metres too!

I don't really understand this but are you saying there is 3metres which could be used for seating next the bf private moorings.

Does it not make sense, to provide access or for people to donate time to tidy up and maybe donate some furniture

(http://www.rivertac.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/sofa2.jpg)

I can picture the scene now!

Aye, that's my sofa!   

Craig  obviously we should look to secure the furniture to something like the railings to the private moorings...... I'm quite keen to have a view of the river without your island in the way! 

predictable.

This has become a very strange thread not sure what the original poster is really asking .

I have to confess some apprehension when I first replied and sadly looks I was right to be apprehensive. Actually I even mentioned that in my post.

The original question asked for places to sit by the river and I tried to provide some options but ultimately it just sounds like roadrunner wants to rile people up. I missed the posts that admin deleted and for that I am grateful.

Roadrunner please step up now if I have misunderstood but I just don't get this. One second you're saying you don't want to pay for a pint to sit by the river and the next that you'd happily pay to have access.

My reply still stands though. Best view on land is albany reach with no obstructions and it's free. If that's too boring for you not sure what 'view' you want. Even better get yourself on the river and if you want I'd be more than happy to let you use my inflatable kayak for example. Nothing better than a nice cold beer floating on the water and you can see any stretch you like.


On that note I am going to sign off and wander down to the river this evening as I am still in holiday mode.

And I think I'm going to try ignore reading any more posts on here for a while.

Thanks, for your answers - I'm just saying there is a lack of public riverside spaces in TD, I'm allowed to have an opinion.