Chessington District Residents' Association
Working for the residents in the South of the Borough of Kingston upon Thames
Local residents have voiced concerns about ongoing noise and dust coming from the aggregate and concrete operations at the Chessington South railhead on Garrison Lane, directly opposite Chessington South station. In response, the Chessington District Residents’ Association (CDRA) arranged a meeting in June 2025 with site operators Cappagh/DCRail and Express Concrete to address these issues and seek possible solutions.
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Work on the new London Plan is underway with the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, announcing in May 2025 his U-turn to now support building on the Green Belt. His announcement talked about ‘local authorities exploring the potential release of parts of the Green Belt for development, particularly lower quality land’. This is in line with national policy and a big issue for residents in Chessington as Kingston Council is failing to reach its target of new homes and the Hook Park proposals for 2000 new homes off Clayton Road on Green Belt.
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Chessington resident and local tutor, Gia Borg Darcy, set up a petition against the parking charge hikes announced by Kingston Council in April. The petition received enough signatures for it to be heard at a Full Council meeting on 8th July 2025. Residents are invited to join Gia in a rally outside the Guildhall at 6.30pm on 8th July.
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Coombe Conduit is a Tudor waterworks supplying Hampton Court Palace. Having been closed to visitors for the last two years, we have learnt from the Kingston Society that it has now re-opened two days a month until October. Coombe Conduit is praised for its historical significance and unique architecture, and is one of Kingston’s most ancient monuments.
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On 9th June 2025, Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced a significant new initiative to modernise the planning system using AI (artificial intelligence). Its aim is to help deliver 1.5 million new homes across the country by streamlining administrative processes to speed up the planning process.
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Thank you to everyone who came along to the Methodist Church for our AGM on 17th June. It was good to see so many new faces as well as old friends. We heard from two very knowledgeable and interesting speakers: Grant Henderson from Your Healthcare and local historian and author Mark Davison. The speakers fielded lots of questions from residents and have kindly provided a summary of their talks for our website.
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The Mayor of Kingston’s Civic Service took place at All Saints Church in Kingston upon Thames on Sunday, 8th June 2025. The service was attended by the new Mayor and Deputy Mayor, along with other dignitaries and members of the community.
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We had a great time at Celebrate Chessington on 29th May 2025, and we weren’t the only ones! The event was well attended with visitors enjoying the funfair, face painting, old military vehicle display, singing and dancing, stalls and refreshments. Thanks to everyone who came by the CDRA stall. We were delighted to meet the new Mayor of Kingston, Councillor Noel Hadjimichael, and welcome him and Deputy Mayor and local councillor, Sue Ansari, to our stall.
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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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Councillor Noel Hadjimichael, Liberal Democrat councillor for Canbury Gardens Ward, has been appointed the 191st Mayor of the Royal Borough of Kingston. Having lived in Kingston since emigrating from Australia in March 2016, Councillor Hadjimichael has been a councillor for Canbury Gardens Ward since May 2022. We are pleased that our local Councillor Sue Ansari, Liberal Democrat councillor for Hook and Chessington North Ward, has been appointed as Deputy Mayor.
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