Working for the residents in the South of the Borough of Kingston upon Thames
Carols, crafts, cake (lots of it!), kids’ Christmas decoration-making workshops, community activities … these are just some of the free, family-friendly activities going on in and around Chessington leading up to Christmas.
Please let us know if you’re organising an event and would like it listed.
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If you have Christmas cards to post to KT17, KT18, KT19 and KT21, there’s still time to use the 7th Epsom Scouts Post. It’s only 50p a card with the last collection at 8pm on Thursday 12th December. There are postboxes around the Epsom, Stoneleigh and Ashtead areas including by Superdrug in the Ashley Centre, Epsom, at Sainsbury’s in Kiln Lane and at Bourne Hall. All postboxes are yellow except the one in the Ashley Centre which is red. All proceeds go to Scout Activity Funds. A great initiative!
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The planning application for the new leisure centre in Kingston – on the old Kingfisher site – has finally been submitted. The decision deadline is 3rd January 2025, so there’s still time to comment.
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Developers Countryside and The Guinness Partnership have now submitted the planning application for Phase Two of this development alongside the A3 by Tolworth Station. They are seeking detailed permission for 336 homes and 879sqm of commercial space and outline permission for a further 629 homes and up to 123sqm community space. A public information event is being held on Thursday 5th December at Baking Ideas, Tolworth, when there will also be further information on their website.
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London Square, a luxury property developer, has acquired the historic Grade II listed County Hall in Kingston. Formerly the headquarters of Surrey County Council, the site is poised for transformation. With existing planning permission, London Square plans to refurbish, restore, and extend the building, creating a total of 292 new homes. Among these, 256 will be private residences, 36 will be affordable housing units, and the development will also include 4,408 square meters of commercial space.
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As the only public transport available to residents in Malden Rushett, it is appalling that instead of improving services, Transport for London (TfL) have done the opposite by reducing the frequency of the 465 bus.
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The new state-of-the-art Cromwell Road Bus Station opened last week following a major revamp by Transport for London (TfL).
TfL wrote: “The new eco-friendly and energy-efficient sustainable bus station will provide safer and more convenient travel along with improved passenger facilities (and better facilities for bus drivers and staff too!)”
The new bus station improvements include real-time travel information screens, enhanced LED lighting & CCTV, new PA system and accessible customer toilet, and a wider passenger island.
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With 211 shared ownership homes built as part of the Signal Park development in Tolworth and more in the pipeline, we felt it an appropriate time to share our advice for anyone considering this option for getting onto the property ladder.
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Another high street branch of a major bank is closing next March. Lloyds Bank in Surbiton will close its doors on 4th March 2025. According to the bank’s regional director, this is due to more customers using internet banking or calling the bank and therefore using the branch much less.
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According to Love Kingston, the former Wilko store in New Malden is to become a Loon Fung supermarket offering a diverse range of Far Eastern grocery and household products. The future of the former Wilko store in Kingston is less certain. Funbox Entertainment submitted a planning application to convert the store into a sports entertainment venue offering indoor games like skittles, pool, bowling, snooker etc. Food and alcohol and late opening were also included on the application. This application has been withdrawn but, says Love Kingston, a new one has now been submitted. We will keep you updated as and when we hear.