In 2019 a company called ‘Poppymill’ began to engage with residents about their ambition to build what they have named Hook Park. They are hoping to build on the Chessington Equestrian Centre and land at the end of Clayton Road known as the Dell. At that time, they wanted to build 1,500 housing units alongside parkland. Our residents’ association attended their workshops and presentations. However, we came away thinking that as the majority of land is on ‘greenbelt’ unless the Government changes its planning rules it is unlikely to ever be built. Not in our life time anyway.
Attached are the proposals from the developer. They also list the ‘special reasons’ that they hope will allow them to build on the ‘greenbelt land’.
In November 21 we received a further invitation to attend one of their workshop sessions. We attended, some of our notes are below.
Our comments following the November 2021 workshop. Note the proposed increase from 1,500 to 2,500 housing units
- Green Belt development – we have to fight it or developers will be trying it on elsewhere
- Building Issues – Clayton Road only access. If access to the A3 is developed as the first activity, it will mean more construction trucks damaging the houses in Clayton Road, this after the spoil dumped on the equestrian centre caused traffic chaos, dirty environment (exhaust fumes, mud on road), damage to Victorian houses’ foundations. Workmen’s vans entering leaving site at peak traffic hours will also cause more problems.
- Soviet-style housing block design
- parking – 2.5K dwellings = about 3.75K cars. If half leave to got to work/school between 06:30 – 08:30, there will be chaos on local roads. If many of the residents are tradesmen, the lack of secure parking will result in thefts from vans and damage to pavements/verges as people try to park their vans close enough to the their dwelling to hear the alarm/be covered by (probably illegal) domestic CCTV.
- shops on the estate will have to be sustained by the estate residents – few people are likely to walk/drive onto the estate. Prices will have to be convenience store levels or higher so residents will drive to Lidl etc so the shops will not last long.
- No access to public transport ! The myth of happy workers cycling to work will remain a myth !
January 2022
A member of our Executive Committee asked a number of pertinent questions of our Council. You can read questions and answers in the below document.