Working for the residents in the South of the Borough of Kingston upon Thames
Congratulations to Diane and Francis, the well-deserved recipients of a community award from the Mayor of Kingston. The award was presented to them by the Mayor, Councillor Liz Green, on 17th March at a ceremony at the Guildhall, Kingston. The awards honour individuals who devote their time to supporting communities across the borough. Diane and Francis have played crucial roles in the development of CDRA for over 30 years.
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Do you remember the roadhouse at the Ace, or when Chessington World of Adventures was the Zoo? Perhaps you browsed through the records at Woollies on Hook Parade or remember the RAF camp? To celebrate our 50th anniversary, we want to hear your memories of Chessington past. We will share them on our website, social media and at our Annual General Meeting.
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Parking and loading bays suspended, erratic closures to the slip road, incorrect signage installed, parking tickets wrongly issued, barriers and groundwork debris everywhere … all combining to cause chaos for vehicles and frustration, confusion and stress to residents, customers and businesses. And what for? For an additional two electric vehicle charging points that aren’t needed or wanted.
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We are faced with yet another planning application for an opportunist back garden development. This time at 200 Leatherhead Road, Chessington KT9 2HU, adjacent to the existing Fleetwood Close. The proposed development of 2 x three-bedroom houses, 1 x two-bedroom house and 1 x one-bedroom house will bring more cars onto the already busy A243. A considerable disadvantage is that there is no actual access direct from the development to the main road. Access is proposed across an existing eight bay garage forecourt into Fleetwood Close.
Read CDRA’s response to planning application
The developers are seeking planning permission for Phase Two of this development. A presentation was given by the developers at the South of the Borough Neighbourhood Committee meeting on 25th March. CDRA is strongly opposed to this application. Residents, businesses and councillors raised concerns regarding the density of the development, its impact on existing residents, GP surgeries, schools and transport, the height of the blocks, and the lack of car parking which is already impacting safety and traffic in the area.
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A new report from the Mayor of London, claims there has been a 36% cut in harmful NOx emissions in Kingston following the expansion of the Ultra Low Emission Zone to outer London 18 months ago.
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On 4th March 2025, CDRA attended the presentation by Kingston Giving of ‘What Kingston Thinks’ at the Rose Theatre in Kingston. During 2024, 200 residents were interviewed about what it’s like living and working in the borough. Questions covered topics from mental health and well-being to shops and services, housing to digital connectivity. The insights from this research will shape Kingston Giving’s priorities, with a focus on addressing mental health as the most pressing need identified in the report.
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Scaffolding has been erected around the balconies of Millais House on Bridge Road after CDRA raised concerns about falling cladding with PA Housing, the association that owns the flats. This is the second cladding issue in six months, underscoring the risks of building balconies that overhang busy pedestrian footpaths.
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Did you know that beneath our feet, over twenty miles of deep underground tunnels are being built as part of a National Grid £1 billion project to rewire south London? The eagle-eyed among you have spotted that signs and lampposts at the Ace roundabout have been removed. This is because some super large loads are traversing the junction as part of this project.
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Tesco Express on Hook Parade is now open following the recent closure for refurbishment and the Post Office fortress counter remains in its existing position. There were plans to close the fortress counter and for the post office services to operate from a counter along the existing supermarket checkouts. CDRA set up a petition and were delighted to hear, just before the store closed for the refurbishment, that the existing fortress counter would stay put.
A big shout out to the store manager, Marius, and his team at Tesco Hook Parade along with the senior management team of Tesco. Thank you for listening and taking notice of our petition to maintain this essential service.
The post office at Hook Parade provides residents with the full complement of post office counter services in a professional and welcoming way. Sadly, the post office service provided at Morrison’s North Parade – where the counter moved to alongside the supermarket checkout – is quite different.
We will keep the petition open and continue to collect signatures in case the situation changes.
Sign our petition