Junction Tavern, 641 Kingston Road

Permission granted June 2019 for:

CHANGE OF USE FROM PUBLIC HOUSE TO GROUND FLOOR RETAIL (A1 USE) WITH 9 x FLATS ABOVE (COMPRISING 6 x 1 BED AND 3 x 2 BED FLATS) (C3 USE), INCLUDING DEMOLITION OF EXISTING TAXI HIRE BUSINESS WITHIN CURTILAGE.

Planning permission granted in June 2019.  The Developer is continuing with the construction and has been applying for certain conditions, attached to the planning consent, to be discharged, as the building works progress.  For example, in July 2024, for a revision to the location of the cycle parking on the ground floor.

Access Site, 579 – 589 Kingston Road (ex Manuplastics)

REDEVELOPMENT OF SITE TO PROVIDE CLASS E(G)(I) (OFFICE), CLASS E(G)(III) (LIGHT INDUSTRIAL) AND CLASS B8 (SELF-STORAGE) USES, INCLUDING USE OF PART FIRST FLOOR FOR CLASS E(G)(I) (OFFICE) AND/OR CLASS B8 USE (SELF-STORAGE), IN A BUILDING OF UP TO SIX FLOORS, PROVISION OF CAR AND CYCLE PARKING, VEHICLE ACCESS, LANDSCAPING, PLANT AND ASSOCIATED WORKS.

Planning Application submitted 24 April 2023.  The ARA has been advised that, as there is no residential element to this application, it will not be scheduled for the Planning Committee, rather the Planning Officer will make a decision using delegated powers.  However, there is no evidence on the Council’s planning portal that a decision has yet been reached.  If permission is granted the construction works are anticipated to take 18 months in total.

PAG Site, 565 Kingston Road

DEMOLITION OF 3 SINGLE STOREY LIGHT INDUSTRIAL UNITS TO ENABLE REDEVELOPMENT TO PROVIDE 9 X RESIDENTIAL UNITS; SCHOOL (AGES 9- 13) WITH PUPIL CAPACITY OF 180; TEACHING COLLEGE; WORKSPACE; COMMUNITY CENTRE; AMENDED ACCESS; AND ASSOCIATED CAR PARKING.

Planning permission granted 24 August 2023, with the Section 106 Agreement (a legal agreement between the School and the LB of Merton regarding concessions and financial contributions required to enable the scheme to proceed) having been concluded on 15 October 2024.  

The Section 106 contains the following:

It is possible that the residents of the nine flats will be allowed parking permits, limited to one per unit, if they drive an emission free car or are the holder of a disabled persons badge.  Staff members (any person working at the School) with zero carbon cars or a disabled badge would benefit from a similar scheme, albeit restricted to one permit per member of staff.  

However, this would be subject to a parking survey and assessment of parking capacity within the A1 CPZ and the immediate area, to be carried out by a Transport Consultant, instructed by the Council at the Owner's expense, to assess whether there exists capacity to allow applications for such parking permits based on an assessment of:

(a)       the current parking capacity, particularly during the day; and

(b)       the likely impact on parking pressure in the CPZ and immediate area of new parking permits granted pursuant to these proposals.

The parking capacity assessment is to be undertaken prior to the occupation of the School or the residential units.

To reduce the transport impact associated with the uses undertaken at the School, the Section 106 requires the Owner to provide a ‘Travel Plan’, which is to satisfy the travel plan objectives, listed under Schedule 5, as:

• To promote awareness of transport issues and the impact of traffic on the local environment.
• To show a commitment to improving traffic conditions within the local area.
• To influence the reduction in the level of private car journeys to and from the development in order to reduce air pollution and the consumption of fossil fuels.
• To maximise the proportion of journeys to and from the Development by sustainable modes of transport such as walking, cycling and public transport.
• To use reasonable endeavours to install electric vehicle charging facilities and to encourage teachers to drive zero carbon cars.
• To use best endeavours to explore the viability of a 'kiss and walk' service, wherein parents drop their children off at either Dundonald Recreation Ground or Prince George's Field, or some other suitable location and Staff Members shall then be available to walk pupils safely to the School.

Additionally, the School is to make a "Healthy Streets Contribution", which is to be paid to the Council towards the implementation of:

• Safety arrangements and 'zig-zag' lines outside the school.
• The provision of improved pedestrian crossing facilities near the site to enable better access to Raynes Park Railway Station and the A238 Kingston Road westbound bus stops.
• The provision of tactile paving at the David Lloyd / A298 Bushey Road crossing.
• The relocation (if feasible) of the half-on/half-off footway parking on-street, to increase the footway effective width on Kingston Road.
• The installation of CCTV cameras along the off-road pedestrian / cyclist route, along with more lighting in the tunnel beneath the railway bridge [on Lower Downs Road].

18 Whitfield Court, 508 Kingston Road

ERECTION OF A THREE-BEDROOM DETACHED BUNGALOW WITH A SUMMERHOUSE

Nearing completion, with the building works and height of the building causing distress to the residents of Sydney and Dupont Roads who are immediately adjoining.  

Wimbledon Chase Railway Station, Kingston Road & 45-48 Rothesay Avenue

DEMOLITION OF THE EXISTING ENTRANCE TO WIMBLEDON CHASE STATION AND ADJACENT RETAIL UNITS AND 45-48 ROTHESAY AVENUE AND THE ERECTION OF A NEW STATION ENTRANCE AND BUILDING RANGING IN HEIGHT BETWEEN THREE TO NINE STOREYS WITH RETAIL USE AT GROUND FLOOR, WITH 74 RESIDENTIAL FLATS ABOVE, ON FIRST TO EIGHTH FLOOR, ASSOCIATED VEHICLE AND CYCLE PARKING, REFUSE AND PLANT.

Planning permission granted 26 April 2023, with the Section 106 Agreement ratified on 1 February 2024.  The ARA has been advised that the Developer is to commence the construction works ’later on in 2024’ and that these would take 24 months to complete.

Land to the rear of 49 to 51 Firstway Raynes Park  – Reference:  23/P1997

ERECTION OF A DETACHED 3 STOREY BUILDING TO ACCOMMODATE 5 X FLATS WITH ASSOCIATED HARD AND SOFT LANDSCAPING, REFUSE AND RECYCLING AND CYCLE STORAGE PROVISION.

Planning permission granted in August 2024 for five flats (4 x 1 bedroom and 1 x 2 bedroom) in a three-storey building which will occupy much of the site.  The scheme is to be car free, with a dedicated store for 6 cycle spaces.  Construction is expected to take around 10 months to complete.  

Rainbow Industrial Estate, Station Approach – Ref:  14/P4287 and 14/P4288  

Planning permission (ref. 14/P4287) was granted to Workspace Group (the owners) for the redevelopment of the Rainbow Industrial Estate in May 2016, subject to the signing of a Section 106 Agreement (agreed in May 2016) as follows:

“Redevelopment involving demolition of existing buildings and erection of 6 blocks of flats of 5-7 storeys and a terrace of 9 houses, providing 224 residential units (Class C3) plus 3,449 sq m of commercial floorspace for uses within Class B1 (Business) and 264 sq m of ancillary commercial floorspace for uses within classes A1 (Retail), A2 (Financial and Professional Services), A3 (Restaurants and Cafes) and D1 (Non-Residential Institutions), an energy centre, associated surface level and basement parking and external amenity space and landscaping.”

The above consent was accompanied by a separate permission for the installation of a Kiss and Ride facility (Ref : 14/P4288), also granted in May 2016, at the entrance of the site adjacent to Raynes Park Station for:

“Works to upgrade land adjoining to the south and south west of Raynes Park station including road widening and the creation of "KISS AND RIDE" (A picking up and dropping off area) facility adjacent to Raynes Park Station”.

Further, in March 2018 consent was granted (Ref : 18/P0258) for the development to be phased, with Phase I being the commercial element of the scheme (light industrial units) and Phase II being the residential element.  Phase I has already been completed and hence the overall permission has been ‘implimented’ within the required timescale, i.e. the residental element can subsequently be constructed as and when the Workspace Group decides it is appropriate.  

It has also been agreed with LBM that the Kiss and Ride permission (14/P4288) be varied such that this facility will not be required until Phase 2 (the residential element) is built.

The ARA is not aware of when the Workspace Group may decide to begin construction of Phase II, but is advised that, currently, it is seeking to increase the number of residential units from 224 to 250.

Footnote:

The ARA is concerned that it is quite possible that the redevelopment of the old Manuplastics site at 579-589 Kingston Road (Aspect Self Storage), the PAG Site, 565 Kingston Road and Wimbledon Chase Railway Station could all take place at the same time and, given the anticipated length of the building works, will doubtless overlap.  The  construction of these three, pretty large, schemes will provide considerable disruption to the local area, even if carried out separately, but their close proximity will exacerbate the disturbance to the immediate area and the Apostle roads in particular.