Chessington District Residents' Association
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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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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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.
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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Kingston Council’s Children’s Services have once again been awarded the highest possible rating by Ofsted, achieving an Outstanding rating across all five areas of assessment for the second consecutive inspection. The services are delivered by Achieving for Children, a social enterprise established by Kingston and Richmond councils in 2014. This is fantastic news for parents, carers, and families in the borough, to help ensure children and young people get a fairer start in life.
The aspirational leadership was commended by inspectors, as well as the highly effective services provided for children throughout the borough. Services were described as ambitious and creative, with staff praised as strong and committed advocates for children and young people.
Ofsted has determined that children and families in Kingston receive significant benefits from highly effective early help services. Family hubs provide a wide range of support, making a notable impact on the lives of vulnerable young people.
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Unfortunately, despite our best efforts, and those of residents and businesses, and our local councillors, valuable free parking spaces at Ace Parade, Chessington, will be lost. The Transport for London (TfL)/Zest project to add a further two electric vehicle (EV) charging points is going ahead with works now underway (17th February). We have subsequently heard from TfL that, due to some technical issues during the exploratory works, there will be just one further EV charging point installed. The works are expected to be completed by the end of March.
The petition was to maintain the maximum number of parking bays possible, open to all visitors to the shops and businesses at Ace Parade – especially for patients visiting the Ace Pharmacy.
Thank you to everyone who supported the campaign and signed the petition.
Elvis is the family cat of one of our executive committee members. Like his namesake, he is regularly known to have ‘left the building’ often causing his owners huge anxiety when he doesn’t return when expected. However, they’ve found a solution for peace of mind.
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There was a consultation event on 19th September 2024 about the attraction’s current projects and new proposals. Chessington World of Attraction’s owners, Merlin Entertainments, has now submitted plans to Kingston Council for redevelopment, creating new attractions and accommodation.
This proposed back garden development was brought to our attention by a concerned resident who attended our executive committee meeting in November 2024. CDRA felt that this development could set a precedent for our community and objected. We were, therefore, pleased to hear early in January 2025 that the planning application has been refused by Kingston Council.
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.