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 £5 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. 

WE'RE LOOKING FOR A NEW CHAIR OF THE ASSOCIATION

We are looking for a new Chair of the Apostles Residents Association.  Chris Larkman, who helped set up the association in 1988 and has been Chair currently since 2018 thinks it is time to move over and let someone else have some of the fun.  

Are you passionate about your local area and community?

Can you see the ‘bigger picture’?

Do you like meeting people?

Are you a team player?

Do you enjoy a challenge?

Then you are what we are looking for!!!!

ROLE OF CHAIR OF THE ARA

The Association was set up in 1988 with these aims:

1) The promotion and protection of the amenities and character of the area.

2) The furnishing of advice and assistance to persons proposing or opposing developments in or near the area.

We are delighted that we have a strong committee representing each of the roads.  You will therefore be given lots of support!

As Chair you get to meet and hear from local people, and engage with our local councillors, our MP, council officers etc.  You will also work closely with other associations in the Raynes Park area with the aim of making improvements to our town centre.  Whilst it is not a paid job, it is massively rewarding!

In terms of your time, it varies, and depends on what is happening locally, or how much you want to get involved.  An average of 5 hours per month seems about right. 

The key members of the ARA management team are the representatives from each of the roads – called the ‘road reps’.   The Chair’s role is primarily to co-ordinate the work of the road reps, offer them assistance and advice and to identify issues that affect more than one street.

The Chair is responsible for calling committee meetings and also arranging the AGM.  At present we have around 4 meetings a year.

To apply to be the Chair, or for an informal discussion or more information please contact our current Chair, Chris Larkman chrislarkman@gmail.com 07950 642550 

APOSTLES FAMILY GROUP

Are you currently on maternity/paternity leave, shortly expecting a baby or have little ones at home?  Rebecca from Carlton Park Avenue has set up an Apostles parent/carer and baby group.  Please text her on 07861 684341 if you would like to be involved.  

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

Aston Road: The group is run by our road rep, Emma Chadwick 07912 892729 emma.chadwick1@gmail.com

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 Tanya Withers 07808 742083 tanya_withers@yahoo.com

Chestnut Road: The group is run by 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.

We understand that the plot to build a 6th bungalow has been purchased by a couple.  We wait to see how they will manage the contruction given the difficulties over access.

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.

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.  We continue to campaing with the owners, Workspace, to make sure they manage the area.  It has also become an area attracting fly-tipping.  Ultimately we would like the Council to adopt this stretch of road.

EMBANKMENT AT RAYNES PARK

You may have noticed Liz Lane and her volunteers working on the railway embankment.  Many people have spent several hours and have achieved a great deal.  Wait for the Apring and Summer for the results!  We think this creates a pleasant welcome to people entering Raynes Park from the east.  

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.

The Mural at the Skew Arch

The Parklet

FLOODING

Raynes Park - July 2021

Lower Downs Road - July 2021

Parts of Raynes Park are vulnerable to flooding.  In times of heavy rain, the road bridge at the station regularly floods, as does Lower Downs Road bridge.  The problem is that we're at the bottom of the hill and get all the water coming from the Ridgeway.  You may have noticed that Thames Water have erected a 'water garden' on the north side of the 'Skew Arch' (pedestrian and cycle route to the east of the railway bridge).  This can only have a limited effect.

You may be interested to hear that Thames Water and Merton Council are in discussion about erecting water storage tanks under Lambton Road between the Raynes Park Tavern and the Medical Centre.  (This will hold excess wtaerin gtimes of heavy rain.) There is also some consideration of changing the road layout in the centre of Raynes Park, leaving this stretch of road as a pedestrian area.  This would result in doing away with the one-way system with all traffic continuing parallel with the railway to Pepys Road.  It would be exciting to get some public space in Raynes Park - at the moment we only have the small area in front of the station.  But will they be able to establish suitable traffic flow arrangements at the road bridge?  We will keep you informed.

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.  However, this doesn’t prevent some companies taking their own decisions – perhaps having seen the press coverage of local flooding.  

For the Environment Agency map of risk in our area go to their website.

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 

BIKE EVENT - RAYNES PARK - SUNDAY 4 AUGUST 2019.

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