Welcome!

The Apostles Residents Association aims to protect and enhance the local environment and promote the interests of the local community.

Follow us on Twitter - @ApostlesSW20 or on Facebook @apostlesra

To become a member, please contact your road rep. The fee is £4 per annum and £2 for pensioners and those out of work. If you would like to pay your subscription by bank transfer, please transfer to: Apostles Residents Association, account no 02383523, sort code 30-99-66 and put your address as the reference.

After you have joined, please click here to sign up to receive emails from us. 

STREET WHATSAPP GROUPS

Some streets have their own WhatsApp group, which offers an additional means of communication:

Gore Road: The group is run by our road rep, Will Reay -  reayj2003@yahoo.co.uk

Carlton Park Avenue: Rebecca Reynolds runs the group.  To be added to the list contact her on 07861 684341.  

Edna Road: Caroline Smith runs the group.  To be added to the list contact her on 07708 795065.

Dorien Road: To be added, please email our road rep, Martin Geoghegan

martinrpvale@gmail.com

Dupont Road: The group is run by our road rep, Tanya Withers 07808 742083 tanya_withers@yahoo.com

Chestnut Road: The group is run by our road rep, Raluca Barret

ralucaxyz@icloud.com

Bronson Road: The group is run by Brandon Wilkins 07470 048629 brandon.wilkins1@gmail.com

PLANNING APPLICATION FOR AN ADDITIONAL BUNGALOW BETWEEN SYDNEY & DUPONT ROADS.

Have you ever seen the 5 bungalows between Sydney & Dupont roads?  I expect most of us haven’t.  Indeed, many of us have little reason to visit streets other than our own – we either go to Kingston Road to catch a bus or to go to Raynes Park, or we go towards Bushey Road to go to Wimbledon Chase or for a walk in Prince George’s Fields.  To take a look at the bungalows the main entrance is in Kingston Road at Whitfield Court.  

The area between the two roads is bigger than between any other Apostle road.  The debate about the use of this land has been going on for at least 30 years.  One of the reasons the ARA was founded was as a result of a group of people in the two streets meeting to discuss this piece of land.  There had been issues of people unilaterally extending their back garden.  There were questions of ownership of the land.  Plans were being advanced to create a community garden, when suddenly we became aware of a planning application for the current bungalows.  None of us ever anticipated they would receive planning consent.  It seemed to us ridiculous to build in such a space - not least because of the difficulty of access to the site.  Merton Council Planning turned down the application, but the developers went to appeal, and to our total amazement, won.

The owners have now applied to erect a 6th bungalow.  We have submitted a response to the Council’s Planning Committee, asking them to refuse the application on the basis that the bungalows have never worked as suitable homes and an additional one would worsen the situation.  We have also pointed out that the construction of such a building would cause significant disruption to local people in both the delivery and storage of materials. For details see Merton Planning ref: 22/P2120.

STEP-FREE ACCESS AT RAYNES PARK STATION

We have been campaigning for many years for step-free access at the station.  There surely can’t be a busier station in London without it?  Grants for such work are allocated on a selective basis, depending on the cost and the case presented.  Two applications have so far failed.  Merton Council have submitted a third attempt, so we wait with anticipation of the response!  The ARA have written a letter urging the grant committee to look sympathetically on Raynes Park.

FOOTPATH WIDENING AT RAYNES PARK STATION

As you exit the station on our side, you notice a temporary bit of fencing.  Soon we hope that the Council will lay out a wider pavement for us.  The delay in finishing the task is the result of Network Rail bureaucracy!  We have been campaigning for this to be done for about 20 years!  Your association is very patient and persistant!

THE 'KISS & RIDE'

The area on the side road leading from the station to the Rainbow Industrial Estate has been designed as a drop off/pick up point for the station.  Workspace, the company managing the industrial estate, is responsible for providing the so called ‘Kiss & Ride’ facility.  This bit of road has become a complete ‘free for all’ and anyone can park there – if they can find a space – for as long as they want.  Despite phone calls and meetings, Workspace have continued to fail to meet their responsibilities.  Stephen Hammond, our MP, and our local councillors are continuing to pursue Workspace to get a resolution to this issue.

EMBANKMENT AT RAYNES PARK

Have you noticed that work has begun on the railway embankment oppoits Boots?  An army of local volunteers under the leadership of Liz Lane has begun to dig over the area in preparation for planting.  It is going to look great!  Thanks to everyone for their hard work.

STREET PARTIES

Some roads in the Apostles held street parties on Sunday 7 May 2023 to celebrate the coronation of our King & Queen, including Bronson Road, Clifton Park Avenue and Edna Road.  See below one of the photos from the Bronson Road party - more photos can be seen on the Bronson Road web page.

BUSHEY ROAD SPEED LIMIT

So, having reduced the speed limit along Bushey Road from 40mph to 20mph, they now plan to put it up 30mph.  To many of us the reduction from 40 to 20 just didn’t make sense.  However, some people in the Apostles have commented that it is much easier and safer crossing the road to go to Prince George’s Fields with the 20mph limit.  Our local councillors are arguing that any increase to 30mph should be accompanied by the erection of a pedestrian crossing.  

The Mural at the Skew Arch

The Parklet

FLOODING

Raynes Park - July 2021

Lower Downs Road - July 2021

Raynes Park hit the headlines for the wrong reasons with pictures of flooding under the railway bridge and in Lower Downs Road.  This happened several times.  The London Borough of Merton is responsible for anything above the surface, gulleys and drains in the road, and Thames Water for anything under the ground.  Whilst we were concerned that the pressure of water resulted in some sewage water spreading in some areas, we have been re-assured that (as we understand) no properties were flooded.  LBM confirm that they prioritise checking drains where there is a raised likelihood of flooding.  TW told us what they are doing  to make sure there are no major blockages in their systems.  Is it just bad luck that we have had about half a dozen ‘once-in-thirty years’ experiences recently?  Should they be investing in bigger and better sewers?  By the way, it is important always to report any flooding to Thames Water – they prioritise areas where they receive the most complaints.   Some people in the Apostle roads have been shocked by massive insurance increases because of the flooding risk.  It seems that different insurance companies use differing criteria and we are not in a designated ‘flood risk’ area.  However, this doesn’t prevent some companies taking their own decisions – perhaps having seen the press coverage of local flooding.  

THE THREAT OF CONVERSION OF TRADITIONAL APOSTLES' TERRACED HOUSES INTO TWO FLATS

As many Apostles residents will know, the ARA was set up in the 1980s to campaign against conversion of typical Apostles 2 bedroom Edwardian terrace houses into two separate flats. Over the years subsequent council planning policies have for the most part prevented such conversions. It was therefore a shock to find that in late 2019 such a conversion was permitted as being in accordance with the council’s current Local Development Framework (LDF) Core Planning Strategy, which was adopted in 2011 (36 Aston Road Planning Application Number 19/P2715).

To some of us the wording in the document is not sufficiently clear, given the council’s stated shortage of ‘family’ sized homes and the preponderance of one and two bedroom dwellings being built throughout the borough.

As a consequence, a survey has been carried out - see below - by some ARA committee members of all the properties in the area served by the ARA to establish as accurately as possible the breakdown of dwellings by their size in terms of bedrooms per dwelling. This survey has been produced in order to make the case to the council that, in terms of its own housing policies, it is detrimental to convert 2 bedroom Apostles terraced houses into two individual flats.

This decision to carry out the survey was welcomed by council planning officers and the survey has been submitted to the council in the expectation that it will influence a more clearly worded housing policy in the revised LDF which is currently being developed for adoption in the next couple of years.

Merton has produced its draft Local Plan for consultation.  The draft Plan certainly does not go far enough to protect our properties.  Accordingly we have made the following submission to Merton.  Thanks to Peter Fischer, local resident, for the hard work he has done in preparing our response.

LOCAL BOOK CLUB

A local book club who meets approx every 6 weeks, usually at Mora, would welcome new members, contact Jane: jane.sin@hotmail.co.uk 

CROSSRAIL2 - LATEST UPDATES

It now appears increasingly unlikely that the CrossRail2 Project will not go ahead in the foreseeable future.  CrossRail has gone way opver budget, and post Covid there will be no money left in the kitty for such a develoment.  

BIKE EVENT - RAYNES PARK - SUNDAY 4 AUGUST 2019.

The event is always a great success and Raynes Park comes alive.