trod

 Tolworth Residents against Over Development  

TROD is a group of concerned local residents, and is independent of any political party or other organisation.

 
 

 

Surrey Comet, Nov 2006

Surrey Comet, March 2006

 

 

January 2008                                      

** UPDATE **

No new plan has yet been submitted.

After the new plan is eventually submitted, concerned residents are again urged to write to the Council when the Council conducts a proper consultation with the community.

The address to write to is: Head of Planning and Control, Guildhall 2, Kingston upon Thames, KT1 1EU.

Alternatively, emails can be sent to the Head of Planning and Control at: dc@rbk.kingston.gov.uk.

Letters and emails must have the home or local business address on them.

Statement from TROD - 12 January 2008

TROD dissolved

TROD is being dissolved with immediate effect. But that does not mean the end of the campaign against the building of a superstore in Tolworth.

TROD has been one of three campaigns against building a superstore in Tolworth.

The two other campaigns, which continue, are:

(1) Every Little Hurts (click here) led by the constituency MP, Edward Davey; and

(2) No to Tesco (click here) led by two local councillors.

These two campaigns electorally represent most people in the area. So they are well positioned to continue the campaign against Tesco’s proposal for a Tolworth superstore.

Public awareness and concern about the adverse consequences of a Tolworth superstore is now very considerable.

These consequences will remain the same when the new application is submitted.

TROD has obviously played a significant part in raising public awareness about these adverse consequences, and about the importance of writing to the Council about them.

In doing so, TROD has successfully achieved its aim.

Thank you to all those who have supported TROD since it was formed over two years ago in October 2005.

Tolworth, Surrey

Tolworth is a residential area, with an extensive shopping centre. The community lies about 2 miles south of Kingston upon Thames, Surrey, within the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames.

Planning Application (now withdrawn)

Tesco, the owners of a 13-acre disused site south west of the Tolworth Roundabout, submitted a valid planning application to Kingston Council in October 2006.

Its application was to build a superstore and 662 homes, mostly one and two bedroom flats.

The application was withdrawn in February 2007.

Next stage

Tesco intended to submit another plan later in 2007 in which a superstore will 'remain a prominent feature of the scheme' - Tesco's letter (February 2007) to local residents.

However, though the end of 2007 has passed, another plan has not yet been submitted.

The community overall and TROD in particular is strongly opposed to any superstore in Tolworth.

The evidence for the community's opposition includes:

*   the public reaction at the two public consultation meetings held in the autumn of 2006

*   the correspondence in the local press

*   the opposition to a Tolworth superstore by Edward Davey, the local MP, and by Tony Arbour, the local London Assembly member

In spite of all that, Tesco has been, through its working party idea, 'consulting' the 'community' before submitting another plan with a superstore.

Not much of a consultation when the conclusion has already been predetermined.

The Council will eventually conduct a proper consultation after a new plan has been submitted.

Residents are urged to let the Council know their concerns in that consultation.

 

  

 

The Site

13 acres immediately south west of Tolworth Roundabout, by the A3. It is known locally as the Government Offices site. Map: press here.

This is an important brownfield site, which needs to be redeveloped.

The Council's planning policy clearly states the appropriate use for the site: (1) residential, including affordable/special needs housing; and (2) community facilities.

The policy does not include a superstore as a community facility.

The Plan (now withdrawn)

662 homes (mostly 1 and 2 bedroom) for up to 2000 people in eight blocks, up to the equivalent of 12 storeys high, with only 436 parking spaces; and

a very large superstore, with only 459 parking spaces.

 

 

Artist's impression of the withdrawn development plan

   

                      

The Concerns

 

These concerns all arose because the Council's planning policy for the site was ignored.

 

If the policy had been followed, the anticipated problems - arising from the high density of the proposed residential accommodation, and the proposal for a superstore - would have been either considerably reduced or would have disappeared.

 

Traffic

 

1    Vastly increased traffic congestion in and near Tolworth,

      which already suffers from serious congestion: this would

      have added to the already very high levels of pollution   

      that have been registered in the vicinity of the site.

 

2    The residents of the substantial, neighbouring Sunray 

       Estate would have been seriously affected: their link to

       and from the local road network are the same roads that 

       would have become additionally congested by traffic

       entering and leaving the proposed development.

 

Shopping

 

     3    Damage to the overall vitality of the Tolworth Broadway 

           shopping centre. Tesco admitted there would have been

           a 16.5% loss of trade from the Tolworth Broadway 

           shops: Retail Assessment - part of its planning application

           documents, Table 6.1.

 

4    There are already three supermarkets in Tolworth:

      Iceland, Budgens, and a Tesco Express. There is also a

      Marks and Spencer store in Tolworth, and a large Tesco

      Extra superstore just 3 miles away in New Malden (as

      well as substantial supermarkets nearer than New Malden

      in Surbiton and Kingston). There is no need for a

      superstore in Tolworth.

 

Council Planning Policy

 

5   Tesco's plan for the Tolworth site ignored the Council’s  

      planning policy: the policy does not include building a

      superstore on the site; and the policy also prohibits

      new high rise buildings in Tolworth.

 

Other Concerns

 

     6    Extensive high rise development would spoil the character

           of the area, and particularly the character of the

           residential areas in the immediate vicinity of the site.

 

     7    Pressure on parking places in nearby residential roads.

 
 

 

1    Links with Kingston Council

 

       Planning application history: click here

 

       Planning documents, and drawings: click here. (Printed 

       copies of these are available for the public to view at

       Guildhall 2.)

 

2    Link with Tescopoly

 

       A page of information about this application: click here

 

3    Links with the two other local campaigns

         (in alphabetical order)

 

       Every Little Hurts: click here

 

       No To Tesco: click here

 

 

This webpage will be updated from time to time, as new information becomes available.

 

Thank you. 

                                       

         

January 2008

 
 

       

Artist's impression of the withdrawn development plan