News & Views from Kingston and Surrounds The plans have been in progress since 2024 when the council secured £500,000 from the National Lottery Heritage Fund and the Rewild London Fund Portfolio Holder for Climate Action and Sustainable Transport said: “We are delighted to win this external funding for Tolworth Court Farm.” He added: “This means we can transform the biggest nature reserve in our borough and restore it for the benefit of not only wildlife The Community Brain has been involved with Tolworth Court Farm Fields for more than five years It has been running consultations with residents to get their views on the rewilding project Concerns were raised about the possible impact the plans would have on dog walking with owners now having to walk their dogs on leads within the reserve An RBK officer has said dog walking is a separate issue and the restrictions on dog walkers will not be directly impacted by this proposal said: “We have been instrumental in securing the funding for this important and exciting initiative and now look forward to providing opportunities for local communities to be further involved through a variety of creative projects and initiatives.” According to The Community Brain 360 species of invertebrates and 40 species of birds and mammals currently reside in Tolworth Court Farm The 42-hectare site will be excavated to reinstate the wetland system and open-standing water Ponds will be created on the north-eastern and south-eastern sides of Field One to promote biodiversity and ecology The site is within a Tier II Archaeological Priority Area with Roman and prehistoric archaeology from the medieval periods which are likely to be affected by the excavation The restoration plans come after the Hogsmill River in the nature reserve was “straightened and channelised” in the 1960s which damaged the habitat of many species The application stated that “the habitat will contribute to the site’s wider ecology with the hope of becoming one of London’s most pioneering nature reserves Demonstrating how rewilding principles can be embraced in peri-urban settings Kingston University is also one of the partners involved in the project after students collaborated with The Community Brain to build bird houses for some of the species on the site back in 2019 You must be logged in to post a comment Email us!  A PARISH in south London has split over the introduction of blessings for same-sex couples: one priest has left the Church of England supported by the organisation the Alliance told the Church Times that about half of the congregation of a daughter church The Associate Vicar who led the church, the Revd Bart Erlebach, resigned from the C of E in August, and will lead a new church in conjunction with a local independent church and the Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches (FIEC) and the majority of the Emmanuel members on the body were in favour of leaving the C of E a “good number” of the congregation who were staying at the parish and continuing the witness of the church which would celebrate the 90th anniversary of its establishment next year Mr Erlebach told the Church Times that he “could not in conscience remain under the authority of the Bishops when they agreed to the use of the Prayers of Love and Faith (PLF) It was a difficult and painful realisation.” He said that the opportunity to plant an independent church “represents not only a way for those from Emmanuel who wanted to leave the Church of England to do so as we will be planting into an area where there are no churches meeting” Mr Shepherd said that he had “much sympathy” with Mr Erlebach “I share many of the same concerns about the PLF process and trajectory of the Church of England that the Bishops have led us in,” he said “taken different conscience decisions about our place in the Church of England and have chosen to try and model a respect and love for one another and encouraged those at Emmanuel to do the same as some choose to leave and others to stay” He said that he had chosen to remain in the C of E, along with a “good number” of the congregation at Emmanuel, but has signed up as a member of Alliance: an organisation that has emerged in opposition to the introduction of blessings for same-sex couples as a result of the Living in Love and Faith (LLF) process Mr Erlebach said that he respected those who were staying in the C of E and supported the work of the Church of England Evangelical Council (CEEC) but felt that the steps that it had taken to establish a de facto “parallel province” were “not sufficient for me as by necessity it would mean remaining in my current province and under my current Bishops” A spokesperson for the diocese of Southwark said that the diocesan Bishop had “accepted Bart’s resignation with some sadness after it was tendered in August this year “We recognise and respect that Bart is responding with integrity to his theological convictions and as a Diocese we remain committed to speaking well of each other where convictions differ Bart leaves his role with assurance of our prayers and good wishes and gratitude for the 15 years he has served the community of faith at Emmanuel support and work with those members of the congregation who have chosen to remain as they continue to serve God in Tolworth.” Nicholas Reed Langen examines the Supreme Court ruling on gender We are a partnership of six diverse and welcoming congregations in the northern districts of Milton Keynes offering a rich tapestry of worshipping traditions – Anglican USPG is looking to appoint 3 Trustees (lay or ordained) committed to global mission within the Anglican Communion The Diocese of Gloucester is looking for a practical team member to join the Department of Mission and Ministry who brings a creative and flexible approach as we seek to develop and implement innovative approaches to collaborative ministry across the Diocese The Bishop of Lincoln seeks an ordained colleague to lead in vocational discernment within the Diocese The Diocese of London is delighted to welcome applications for the position of Area Director of Ministry (Willesden) and Diocesan Clergy Wellbeing Adviser run jointly by Sarum College and The Church Times tickets available This online seminar, run jointly by Modern Church and The Church Times discusses the theology underpinning the drive for growth tickets available Non-subscribers can read four articles for free each month has been charged with killing his 80-year-old wife News | Crime Get our award-winning daily news email featuring exclusive stories I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice An 80-year-old man has appeared in court charged with the murder of his wife The pensioner appeared in the dock at Wimbledon magistrates court on Monday morning She was pronounced dead shortly afterwards Sharp was arrested at the scene and an investigation was launched Justice against those responsible for Grenfell fire ‘may be delayed until 2030’ Society fixer banned by charity watchdog over funds meant for King’s Foundation 'Jail the Grenfell culprits': Families call for manslaughter charges over blaze Child killer Lucy Letby ‘plans to launch fresh appeal with new legal team’ A post-mortem examination took place on Saturday and gave the cause of death as "manual compression of the neck" A police spokesperson said: "This is a terribly sad case The family are being supported by specialist officers and we request their privacy is respected at this incredibly difficult time." Prince Louis steals the show at VE Day parade as he keeps dad William looking sharp and mimics brother George Prince Louis steals show with sweet antics at VE parade VE Day 2025 fashion: best looks from the day VE Day 2025 fashion: Princess of Wales to Lady Victoria Starmer UK tourists face major travel shake-up as Dubai airport set to close Royals watch historic flypast as huge crowds turns out for VE Day 80th anniversary  Royals watch historic Red Arrows flypast for VE Day 80th anniversary David Beckham’s 50th birthday bash in London 'shut down' by council over noise complaints David Beckham’s 50th birthday bash 'shut down' over noise complaints ​A joint venture (JV) between developer Chancerygate and specialist sustainable impact investor Bridges Fund Management has achieved practical completion at its 70,300 sq ft urban logistics development in Tolworth Metroplex Park is located in Red Lion Business Park and comprises nine highly sustainable units ranging from 4,490 sq ft to 18,110 sq ft and the scheme has a gross development value of around £33m Situated near Tolworth Hospital and the A3 Kingston Bypass the scheme benefits from excellent access to Kingston upon Thames and central London It is seven miles from Leatherhead and 12 miles from Croydon and Heathrow Metroplex Park provides nine dual electric vehicle charge points and all parking spaces are built with the ability to add more charging points based on future requirements all properties feature air-source heat pumps and solar panels on their roofs which provide affordable green energy to run the buildings The units are also constructed from high-performance insulative materials with controlled air tightness which reduces CO2 emissions and increases energy efficiency These features have enabled the scheme to achieve an EPC A+ and BREEAM Excellent rating and will support it as a net zero carbon for a regulated energy scheme Chancerygate development director Matthew Young said: “Demand remains strong in Tolworth Kingston and throughout South West London for brand new high quality “Metroplex Park will help satisfy this demand alongside supporting increasingly ESG-conscious occupiers with their sustainability strategies and protect against energy price volatility There is already early interest as expected with two units under offer to a single occupier “We are pleased to have achieved such strong green credentials with Metroplex Park making it our most dynamic development in the South East and a market-leading scheme within the region.” Chancerygate is the UK’s largest urban logistics property developer and asset manager and the only one operating nationwide The company currently has around 1.16m sq ft of urban logistics space under construction or ready for development across ten sites from Edinburgh to Croydon Bridges is a specialist sustainable and impact investor Its property funds focus on well-positioned sectors that will benefit from the transition to a more sustainable and inclusive economy said: “With all our logistics developments highly sustainable logistics space in great locations that will be attractive to a broad range of occupiers “Metroplex Park is a perfect example of that We’ve been able to develop some of the most sustainable industrial units in the UK with smart design and on-site renewables that will make them zero carbon in operation many of whom are thinking about their own Net Zero pathway this means reduced carbon emissions – as well as lower operating costs “The early interest we’re already seeing at Metroplex Park is a good indicator of how attractive we think this site will be to businesses in south-west London.” Agents for Metroplex Park are JLL and Bonsors © London West (powered by ukpropertyforums.com) Sign up to receive our weekly free journal, The Forum here and website in this browser for the next time I comment Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" UK Property Forums enable forums and events in the property sector which help to create business development opportunities Office Address:UK Property Forums Ltd is located in Reading 0203 478 7340info@ukpropertyforums.com We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website You can find out more about which cookies we are using or switch them off in settings This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings we will not be able to save your preferences This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again Forgotten your password More than 6,000 square metres of sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) have also been installed will see substantial growth over the coming years and that the previous road layout experienced severe congestion at peak times It said it has worked closely with the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames to understand the journey time impacts of the developments and what can be done to mitigate these Bus journey times through the area were predicted to lengthen by 16-17 minutes due to the increased congestion from local developments but the changes will help prevent this and create more space for walking and cycling and the work we have done means that it can now cope with a growth in people travelling around the area as well as becoming a nicer place to live and work.’ Kingston Council’s assistant director - highways said: ‘Schemes such as this are a vital contribution to our necessary future climate adaptation in response to the climate emergency.' The total cost of the work was £10.9m Two Section 106 developer’s contributions of £2.5m each came from Guinness Partnership and Lidl Ltd with Thames Water contributing £160,000 towards the SuDs installation Forgotten your password For best viewing experience of this website Please enter a place name in the search bar After provisionally the warmest May Day on record in the UK higher than average temperatures will subside over the weekend Environment Agency Updated: 03:21 (UTC+1) on Tue 6 May 2025 Cloud thinning and becoming mainly dry overnight Cloud thinning and breaking during the evening with showers and any remaining rain soon fading Showers remain possible across Kent with brisk winds here Possible rural grass frost in western parts by dawn Cloudier in east with best of the sunshine across western regions mainly fine weather with sunny or clear spells and mostly light winds Dry across the vast majority of the UK with clear or sunny spells but also some patchy cloud Cloud will likely thicken across the far north and northwest during the weekend with some outbreaks of rain for a time There is also a small risk of some heavy showers in the far south or southwest high pressure will be dominant across the UK This will bring predominantly fine and dry weather for the majority of places Temperatures are likely to be slightly above normal for the time of year although there is a chance of some cold nights Fairly typical weather for the time of year is most likely through this period fine and dry weather is more likely to dominate although this will be interspersed with occasional spells of rain and showers with a risk of heavy rain and thunderstorms in places temperatures will most likely be near to or slightly above average after police found woman unresponsive at address in Tolworth An 80-year-old man has appeared in court charged with the murder of his wife at their home in south-west London is accused of killing 80-year-old Jenny Sharp at their house in Raeburn Avenue The Metropolitan police said they were called to the address at about 9.30am on Friday after a woman was found unresponsive She was later pronounced dead at the scene age and address during the hearing at Wimbledon magistrates court A postmortem examination on 20 July gave Jenny Sharp’s cause of death as “manual compression of the neck” The Met said it was not looking for anyone else in connection with the incident and the family was being supported by specialist officers Sharp will next appear for a bail application hearing on Tuesday at the Old Bailey was arrested at the scene and was charged with murder on Saturday News | London A pensioner has been charged with murdering his wife at their south London home in a “terribly sad case” Police were called at around 9.30am on Friday to a home on Raeburn Avenue in Surbiton after Jenny Sharp Kingston Council has rejected revised plans by 3DReid to transform Richard Seifert’s Tolworth Tower in Surbiton The decision comes 11 months after the developer Client Healey Development Solutions (Broadway) lost an appeal against the refusal of an earlier proposal for the site In November, 3DReid submitted its revised plans to retrofit the vacant Modernist landmark converting the offices into flats and adding two new residential towers These designs sought to address criticisms laid out by the planning inspector in June 2022 when dismissing the developers' appeal over the refusal of its initial submission The inspector ruled that the loss of office space was unjustified and that the design lacked beauty or 'a strong sense of place' 3DReid's resubmitted proposals retained key aspects of this rejected scheme including the refurbishment of Seifert’s tower and the demolition of existing shops to make way for the two new towers The rejigged plans featured slightly fewer flats – reduced from 499 to 492 – while substantially increasing total office space from 529m² to 1,473m² The revised scheme also included a site-wide energy strategy which the planning inspectorate had said was lacking in the previous version This incorporated air source heat pumps and solar panels to help meet net zero targets 3DReid also changed the elevation design 'to complement the design of the original Tolworth Tower' which planning inspectors confirmed had a 'significant positive impact on the proposal' But Kingston Council once again blocked the proposal citing 11 reasons including 'poor design' and landscaping a failure to justify 'significant loss of employment floorspace' and a failure to 'visibly maximise' affordable housing on-site Another key reason given was the proposal's failure to submit a ‘robust’ fire strategy addressing the requirements of the London plan 2021 Kingston Council confirmed the decision was delegated to a council planning officer and did not go to a vote at a planning committee Of the 75 neighbours who contributed to the council's consultation process 66 objected to the plans while just four supported them The latest designs to remodel the 1960s landmark, which stands next to the A3 dual carriageway in Tolworth, are the fourth set to be submitted for planning approval since 2015, and the second set of designs by 3DReid. The practice's first proposals were rejected in May 2021, and dismissed on appeal last summer Kingston Council rejected the first scheme on 10 grounds including a lack of affordable housing (50 out of 499 homes) and a failure to prove there wasn't still demand for the 22-storey building to be used as offices Although the planning inspectorate found the number of affordable homes to be 'adequate' when the scheme went to appeal the inspector ruled that the proposed loss of employment floorspace (from 19,080m² of office space to 529m² flexible workspace) was ‘not robustly justified’ The inspector's report also found the scheme failed to meet a policy requirement for net zero carbon stating that next to the 'iconic' existing tower the two new towers lacked 'any particularly distinguishing features to clearly differentiate them from any other tall building' The report stated: 'The accumulation of harm […] would significantly and demonstrably outweigh the benefits of the proposal.’ 3DReid and Healey Development Solutions (Broadway) declined to comment on the latest rejection Seifert’s tower has been empty since March 2019 3DReid has previously said office tenants were decreasing in number owing to the building’s ‘unsuitability for contemporary office demands’ The practice has said retrofitting the tower would save approximately 5,800 tonnes of embodied carbon by keeping the original structural frame 3DReid's original scheme which was rejected in 2021 and then at appeal in 2022 (left); and the revised proposals which were rejected in May 2023 BDP’s College of Arts & Society at Coventry University has been named… Lewisham Council has given Turner Works planning permission for a mixed-use regeneration… Wandsworth Council has given Gehry Partners planning permission for two more residential… Southwark Council has approved tp bennett’s plans for a 25-storey student tower… Kingston Council has received over £500,000 in grants from the National Lottery Heritage Fund and the Mayor’s Rewild London Fund to increase Tolworth Court Farm’s biodiversity In partnership with Community Brain and Citizen Zoo the council has spent the last two years surveying the borough’s largest nature reserve to see how they can improve the area as part of the biodiversity project “This means we can transform the biggest nature reserve in our borough and restore it for the benefit of not only wildlife but also local residents,” said Councillor Ian Manders Wild Tolworth will look to introduce wetland habitats as well as cows and pigs to graze the reserve to bring about ecological recovery The aim of the project is to make Tolworth Court Farm an exemplary nature reserve to the rest of Greater London but also to encourage deeper connections between people and nature said: “Rewilding is the opportunity to allow an area to return to a more natural state “There are ways in which plants and animals work together to be the dominant driving force and we are getting these areas to a point to allow them to run themselves.” The rewilding of Tolworth Court Farm fits into the council’s aim to “increase the ecological complexity and richness of our environment to enable natural processes to take place and embrace ecological dynamism” Rewilding falls into the council’s approach to find nature-based solutions to climate breakdown by creating functioning green infrastructure and encouraging local ecosystems to flourish where possible This is just one habitat project that falls under Kingston’s Biodiversity Action Plan that aims to protect local ecosystems and minimise the environmental damage caused by human activity rewilding is aiding an area’s environmental recovery until it can function by itself Research by the Community Brain claims that Tolworth has some of the worst levels of air pollution in the borough, especially around the Tolworth and Hook roundabouts The Tolworth Green Infrastructure Audit also identified large areas within Tolworth were residents have to travel more than one kilometre to access green spaces such as public parks and nature reserves The west of Tolworth is particularly cut off from green spaces as the A3 acts as a barrier to those wanting to enjoy the local green spaces 95% of residents were unaware of the Court Farm Fields “Make this reserve greener is an actual opportunity to make Tolworth Court Farm become an example for all of Greater London.” Hutchinson also said that ecological restoration and introduction of wetland habitats will bring made benefits to local residents such as less risk of flooding and “allowing Tolworth to become a lusher Tolworth Court Farm does not only need rewilding to improve its current state and people’s access to nature but because the reserve is already a place of environmental interest The existence of the reserve hearkens back to the Domesday Book and was a green corridor between London and Surrey for centuries it is still a major site of grassland biodiversity in the borough as home to a variety of hay meadow plants and wetland birds such as the skylark which is declining in population “It’s the largest nature reserve in Kingston Upon Thames It would be amazing if we could engage with the public and make Tolworth Court Farm an exemplary reserve for the rest of Greater London,” said Hutchinson Reporter and former editor for the Kingston Courier You must be logged in to post a comment The controversial £3.1m Tolworth Greenway was officially opened on Thursday morning at an official ceremony on a blustery Tolworth Broadway which received over £1m of funding from Kingston Council has been heavily criticised with the safety cost and aesthetics of the brightly coloured path coming under fire from members of the local community they could have done something else with the money Ameri also explained the basic safety issues of the new design which incorporates several raised green parts of road for crossing but fewer lights echoed these sentiments saying the he felt that “accidents are going to be imminent” and “the total cost is not justified” held on the eighth floor of Tolworth Tower was attended by prominent members of Kingston Council including Mayor Penny Shelton Councillor Liz Green and Councillor Rolson Davies The Mayor gave an opening address to the crowd stating that the new greenway was necessary because of the “quality and vitality of business in Tolworth Broadway declining” Roy Thompson of RBK  described the project as “different green,” and the response from local businesses reflected this sentiment is a “catalyst for improvement and future opportunities” Spanning the length of the broadway and across the A3 roundabout the project has removed the barriers from the middle of the Broadway and opened the road for pedestrians to cross freely at a number of points The greenway has also rendered the underpasses irrelevant by creating an above ground method of crossing the A3 roundabout adapting the existing bridge into a shared path for cyclists and walkers who worked in conjunction with Kingston Council on the project said that the project was part of Boris’ idea of “transforming Londoners’ everyday experience of how they get around the city” and in this case “transforming people’s experience of how Tolworth feels” said that his first impression when seeing Tolworth was “why doesn’t anyone inject some green into this place?” You must be logged in to post a comment The Grade 1 Tolworth Hurdle has been switched from its January date at Sandown and will now be run on Aintree's new Boxing Day card following the announcement of significant to the programme by the BHA jumps Pattern committee which are intended to strengthen the quality of action will commence from the beginning of the 2023-24 jumps season and are designed to ensure Pattern fixtures are spaced out throughout the campaign in order to increase the level of competition head of racing and clerk of the course at Sandown said: "The changes to the Pattern announced today are aimed at strengthening the upper tier of British jump racing and the moving of the mid-season Grade 1 novice hurdle opportunity over two miles from Sandown to Aintree is an important component of that "The change should also be viewed in the context of the new Pattern races on both days of the Betfair Tingle Creek Festival What is most important to everyone that has been involved in the project is the overall strength of the Pattern going forward." Other notable changes include the Grade 2 International Hurdle at Cheltenham switching to Trials Day at the end of January and the Grade 2 Desert Orchid Chase at Kempton on December 27 becoming a Grade 2 limited handicap in order to make it more competitive BHA director of international racing and racing development said: "The jumps Pattern programme in Britain has undergone an in-depth review focusing on how we best support and improve the performance of jump racing at the top end of the pyramid "The aim is to ensure our top contests are spaced more appropriately and consistently throughout the season – and hopefully deliver more competitive meaningful and engaging racing as a consequence." who will be crowned champion trainer for a 14th time this weekend saying: "The changes to the timings and venues of certain races are all sensible and will help trainers better campaign their good horses Increased competition and more prize-money at the top end can only be a good thing for the sport." Jockey Club racing director Richard Norris said: "With the majority of Britain's jumps Pattern races being run at our venues we have welcomed the opportunity to play a leading role in this in-depth review We hope the changes will be met with approval from all stakeholders and will play a large part in making the upper tiers of British jump racing stronger and more competitive throughout the season "Despite the majority of the changes affecting races at our tracks we are happy to support a 'less is more' approach will prove beneficial for all concerned." Derby to be run at 1.30pm to avoid FA Cup final clash  Free racing club for 18 to 26-year-olds launched to help boost attendances and engagement in the sport  Subscribe today | Get 50% off your first three months  Do you want £200+ of free bets? Racing Post have got the best offers, all in one place. Visit racingpost.com/freebets to find out more Published on 26 April 2023inBritain Copyright © 2025 Spotlight Sports Group Limited or its licensors Part of a refrigeration unit on the ground floor of the building is alight He begged the girl to keep relationship secret from school A teacher at an “outstanding” south London girls’ school could face a ban from the classroom after starting an affair with a pupil within weeks of beginning his career Christopher Austen, 30, had a two-month affair with the 18-year-old in his first term as a newly qualified teacher at Tolworth Girls’ School and Sixth Form, in Surbiton A teaching tribunal heard Austen did not know the girl attended his school when he first met her in a supermarket but hid the illicit liaison from his bosses when he found out the truth broke off the relationship after being “weirded out” by the fact he was a teacher at her school but said Austen pleaded for her to reconsider and told her: “I really like you The relationship in 2016 was discovered by the school more than a year later during an investigation into Facebook messages allegedly sent by Austen to a second pupil A Teaching Regulation Agency disciplinary panel has now found Austen guilty of misconduct and may ban him from the classroom for life joined the leading state school in September 2016 and four weeks in he struck up a relationship with the girl The girl said she ended the fling just before Christmas when she “couldn’t cope” but Austen turned up at her work to try to change her mind “Mr Austen turned up at work twice in the car park to talk about it “He gave me a letter where he was asking me to get back together again.” The student said Austen “got a bit nervous” when he realised she was a Tolworth student but wanted to continue the relationship Grenfell made death trap by 'decades of failure' say locals as they tell of massive flames at Catford tower block fire Police seize £1m of counterfeit designer goods in raid on Camden shop Make education a priority with help from these acclaimed resources Austen did not attend the tribunal but in a written statement said he knew the girl was at college but did not ask where she studied He added that his decision not to tell school bosses was “partly selfish” because “it was my first half term being a teacher” Austen was dismissed by the school in April 2018 and the matter was referred to the police The tribunal will decide at a future hearing whether Austen should be given a lifetime ban from teaching School headteacher Siobhan Lowe said: “As soon as the relationship between Christopher Austen and a student was brought to the attention of our child protection officer we acted promptly and followed the safeguarding protocols which included involving the council It looks like JavaScript is not enabled in your browser An angry crowd of Tolworth residents attended a planning meeting of the Surbiton neighbourhood committee to express their opposition to a proposed new Tesco megastore The site that is subject to Tesco‘s application is located to the south-east of the Tolworth roundabout adjoining the A3 trunk road and Kingston Road said he was worried about the impact on traffic and air pollution from another megastore The current estimation is that the store will add another 5,000 car movements a day to the area.  He said: “This is a very big and busy junction – It is the main road out of Kingston “It‘s already very congested at times and despite what Tesco say it‘s not a place where you pop in for milk “You will load up your car and drive off and you will add to the congestion and the pollution On the safety and the traffic records I can‘t see how the development committee can actually pass this.” Tesco bought the land from the council in 2002 for £10m It was a private sale so there were no other bidders for the 7.61 hectare site.  the supermarket chain have tried to get plans for a new store passed by Kingston Council but they have been rejected each time.  The whole development concept for the site does also include plans for a hotel The community is now worried that Tolworth will not be able to provide the resources that such an increase in people will bring School places for example are already short said: “I think it‘s time that we stop being held to ransom with this site Mrs Sullivan said that Tolworth is a “great community and has great schools” but that the children “won‘t be able to breath anymore” if there is a larger population.  Tesco also went from door to door to find supporters for the new supermarket as Alan Slade He said: “A girl came to my door last summer and told me they wanted to find out whether people are for or against the store “When I told her I actually opposed it she refused to write it down on her notepad she said they were only looking for people who support it.”  Another resident said: “A school and a park He received approving applause from almost everyone in the room The question to whether Tesco should be allowed to continue applying was also raised repeatedly each and every planning application has to be considered on its own merits and there is no way of showing Tesco the door All present councillors backed the opinion of the Tolworth people Without exception they rejected the idea of another Tesco megastore.  Cllr Liz Green pointed out another detail in the application A comment in one of the letters of support said that the new store “will not result in greater traffic congestions in the area as local residents will use alternative means of transport rather than using private transport” As someone in the audience made a joke about jetpacks half indignant: “I think the concept that everybody else has to get off the road because the store users want the road is not really fair on residents.” A decision by the Development Control Committee is expected on February 7 You didn’t get to say your piece at the planning meeting? Share your thoughts with us on Twitter @CourierKingston. Image courtesy of Rex Features.  You must be logged in to post a comment News White storks, rare wild pigs and water voles could be among the many species reintroduced to south-west London in the coming years Conservation group Citizen Zoo has announced exciting plans to bring species back as part of ambitious plans for Tolworth Court Farm in Kingston The 50-hectare site is already home to bustling wildlife including the rare brown hairstreak butterfly but a recent survey revealed only five per cent of its neighbours had ever actually visited it the group’s urban rewilding officer Ben Stockwell told the Standard it has “incredible potential” “Tolworth Court Farm is an incredible nature reserve at 50 hectares it is pretty big as far as urban nature reserves go,” he said “But a recent survey of Tolworth residents showed only five per cent of people living in the area have event visited it - we want to bridge the gap between people and the natural world “One way of doing that is by reinvigorating nature reserves like this and really capturing people’s imaginations with rewilding and bringing back species we don’t see in this part of London anymore.” The long-term vision would be to create an environment where white storks are able to inhabit and nest Citizen Zoo has been inspired by similar rewilding projects across Britain including the Knepp Estate in West Sussex and Wild Ken Hill in Norfolk He added: “There is a white stork breeding programme at Knepp and they have them breeding for the first time in over 600 years in this country - that’s what we think Tolworth can become one day we just want to create the right natural environment and that will involve using cattle and wild pigs Sadiq Khan warns 'tragedy like Grenfell' could still 'happen again' It should be the real start of the new year Is house shame making you reluctant to have guests over Plans are still at an early stage and the next step for the group is the secure finance via crowdfunding to carry out a feasibility study on the reserve But it is hoped if proposals are able to move forward - and they are already supported by Kingston Council - Tolworth Court Farm will act as a “template” for future rewilding projects in the UK To donate towards the crowdfunding campaign, click here Welcome to bdonline.co.uk. 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Read our policy By 2022-07-12T06:00:00+01:00 Loss of employment space and lack of site-wide energy approach cited as major stumbling blocks Seifert’s Tolworth Tower (right) would have benconverted into flats Developers behind 3D Reid proposals to convert a monolithic Richard Seifert office tower in south London into homes and build two sister blocks nearby have seen the scheme rejected at appeal The practice’s design for the 22-storey Tolworth Tower would have created 499 new homes in the structure and the 19- and 15-storey blocks set to be built on the site of shops on Tolworth Broadway When it lodged the proposals at the beginning of 2021 developer Meadow Partners said it had become increasingly hard to attract office tenants because of low floor-to-ceiling heights in the tower But following a 12-day planning inquiry last year inspector Yvonne Wright has dismissed the development team’s appeal into the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames’ refusal of consent for the proposals Wright said that while the authority could not demonstrate a five-year housing supply – which often gives developers an open goal to get consent for new residential development – other factors were more problematic The inspector said that the proposals would result in a “significant loss” of employment floorspace provision and that there was a “lack of robust evidence” on the feasibility of using the tower or parts of it for low-cost and affordable workspace I have found that the proposal as a whole would materially harm the vitality and viability of the district centre,” she said “These factors carry substantial weight in the planning balance.” Wright added that the overall design of the proposals failed to comply with the National Planning Policy Framework She also said that the developers had failed to demonstrate that a site-wide energy approach was unachievable and were therefore unable to show that on-site carbon reductions had been maximised “Accordingly the policy requirement for on-site net zero-carbon has not been achieved and the proposed energy approach is not justified,” she said “Within the context of the London Mayor declaring a climate emergency and the need to urgently minimise greenhouse-gas emissions and energy demand Wright said that while the provision of new homes and the opportunity to refurbish the vacant and “deteriorating” Seifert block were positives they did not outweigh the “accumulation of harm” she had identified with the proposals She concluded that as a result the scheme could not be allowed to benefit from the “presumption in favour of sustainable development” that is enshrined in the NPPF Scheme to include new leisure centre and 300 homes in replacement of scrapped 3DReid-designed plan Annual report says staff prioritised national infrastructure applications and casework with the most community interest Masterplan will add two towers and convert post-war landmark from offices The centre will contain buildings up to nine storeys in height Plans designed by Gensler for a £1bn cancer research and treatment centre in south London have been submitted for planning by developers Aviva Capital Partners and Socius Retrofit of 150 Aldersgate includes new terraces a reconfigured entrance and a public art installation Howells also scoops two awards for Birmingham office scheme and a cafe at a grade I-listed country house Site powered by Webvision Cloud By 2022-01-26T10:13:00+00:00 About 800 staff will work in the new five-floor Lidl has opened its new head office in Tolworth after seven years’ planning and three years of construction The site has the largest number of electric car charging points in one location in the UK along with automatic LED lighting and toilets that flush with rainwater.  Lidl is investing £500m over five years in expansion in the capital in plans announced in 2019 to pay for both construction of the new head office and 40 new stores taking the total inside the M25 to around 130 “This is a significant milestone for Lidl GB finally bringing us together under one roof as one team,” said Ryan McDonnell “This amazing new space is designed to really enhance collaboration encouraging more flexible ways of working for all colleagues as well as providing them with the resources they need to work as one team “Most importantly it’s a sign of our absolute commitment to our colleagues, our customers and our suppliers, and our desire to continue pushing forward with our rapid expansion so that we can offer even more communities the chance to access high quality food at market-leading prices.” Lidl also recently opened its 900th store in Britain putting it on track to reach its long-term target of 1,100 by 2025 Sign in to comment on this article Learn moreExplore related questionsDiscover more about the topics that matter most Browse our suggested questions or ask your own to find out more.