Planning Applications

UPDATES: The status of most of the applications below was updated on 22 October 2015

There seem to be many planning applications at present which may be of importance to local residents. This page will attempt to provide links, and possibly some key information about these.

• Wherever possible please check all information/dates etc. with the Council website or the original source of the information as we are just volunteers and cannot reliably keep up to date with it all.
• If you have any information/corrections/updates for this page please send it here, preferably in a format that can easily be copied and pasted. Thank you
• To find any application on the Council website go to RBK planning database page and search using the planning application number. You can also search for applications within 250 metres of your postcode on this In my area page.

Planning Applications

1. The Old Post Office Site Application number 14/13247

UPDATE

• A further revised proposal was submitted - see www.theoldpostofficekingston.com for details of the changes.
• The pre-development control meeting was held on 14 October.
• This link summarises points made by the Kingston Resident's Association at that meeting
• On 29 October the officer's report will be published
• The decision date is on 5th November. Comments can be made up to this date - however it would be better to get them in sooner.
• The picture below shows a model of the latest proposal

PREVIOUS PROPOSALS

St Georges have revised their application for developing the Old Post Office site. The latest application is for a 19 storey tower block plus some 13 storey high rises with a total of 360 residential units.

• Information about the development is at: www.theoldpostofficekingston.com.
  
  
• A very useful website with information about the current status, information on key dates, important links etc. is provided by the Kingston Residents' Association. The KRA is made up of various local residents associations and social groups."We have no political alliance nor special interest in Kingston other than to support our Council in making the best possible decisions for our town's future." As they state on their website "We are not against development in our borough but it should be sustainable and at an appropriate scale". Also they note that "We are open to any feedback that verifies or reasonably contradicts what we are saying. Please contact us if you want to share your ideas.". The KRA objected to the proposal for 9 reasons (see their why it is wrong webpage for more detail) :
  1. Visual Impact and Conservation Areas
  2. Affordable Housing
  3. Height and Scale
  4. Aesthetics, Architecture, and Heritage
  5. Density
  6. Sustainability
  7. Parking, Transport, Infrastructure and Services
  8. Ineffective public consultation
  9. Public Realm
• Several hundred people, including a large number from the SGRA area attended the Development Control committee Developer's pre-presentation meeting on 2nd June in which the Developers were given 30 minutes to present their proposal and then the objectors were given 30 minutes in total to present their points. Six people spoke in opposition.
  
  
• The decision date was set for 23rd June. However on 22nd June the developer asked for it to be deferred. The new date has not yet been published.
  
  
• The Council has recommended that the application should be passed. This is an extract from the report:

  "The view from the residential parts of the Fairfield/Knights Park conservation area would change significantly. Currently the site is a void, a gap in the urban fabric. It is noted that any development coming forward would occupy this void. The proposal for a high quality development in this void will make a positive contribution to the view from this location." (pA51 Para 200)

• However Kevin Davis, the leader of the Council, has published a blog saying why he thinks it should be rejected.
  
  
• You can continue to send comments until the the meeting date. We believe that this is the list of email addresses of the Councillors who will be on the committee:
richard.hudson@kingston.gov.uk; ken.smith@kingston.gov.uk; bill.brisbane@kingston.gov.uk; mary.clark@kingston.gov.uk; mike.head@kingston.gov.uk; malcolm.self@kingston.gov.uk; hugh.scantlebury@kingston.gov.uk; jack.cheetham@kingston.gov.uk; lorraine.rolfe@kingston.gov.uk;


• You may also want to send comments to the Grove Ward Councillors and to MP James Berry. See below for their contact deatils.

2. The Dairy Crest site (15/16246/FUL)

UPDATE - 22 October 2015

• A number of meetings have been held between local residents and the developers and there have been substantial revisions to the plans.
• The proposal is now for about 51 dwellings - 33 houses plus 18 apartments. The proposed height of the houses is now 9m (to the top of the eaves) while the corner building is 11.5m.
• Pictures sent to the SGRA recently (early October 2015) are shown above.
• The most recent meeting was held on 20 October. One copy of a book with further details about the propossals has been left for residents to study.

PREVIOUS PROPOSAL

• The address of the site is MILK DEPOT VILLIERS AVENUE SURBITON KT5 8BH.
• The original application was for 5 blocks of up to 5 storeys in height with 83 residential units and 2 retail units.
• The height was subsequently reduced to 4 stories and
• A number of concerns raised by residents were received by the SGRA. These can be read here.
• The application was refused in May 2015. It seems likely that a new application will be made in the future.

3. Antoinette Hotel (15/12107/FUL)

• The Hotel Antoinette has been considering the potential for a residential conversion and redevlopment on their site between Beaufort Road and Fassett Road. It engaged Indigo Planning to draft some proposals and at this stage the proposals include a range of one, two, three, four and five bedroom houses and flats with on-site car parking mostly in an underground car park accessed from Beaufort Road. a public exhibition was held in November 2014 in the Parish Hall and at St John's School.
• Contact details for Indigo Planning can be found on their website www.indigoplanning.com. A pdf copy of the one page leaflet shown in the picture can be found by clicking here.
• A copy of the planning statement dated January 2015 can be found here. Here's the link to the planning application planning application.
• The planning application is for "Demolition of 20-30 Beaufort Road and hotel buildings to rear. Retention of 18 and 32 Beaufort Road and 23-43 Fassett Road and erection of two/three storey terraces of 12 and 4 houses fronting Beaufort Road and three/four storey building to rear to provide a total of 19 houses and 60 flats, together with basement and surface car parking and landscaping.Within the Grove Crescent conservation area."

4. Seven Storey Student Development on Penrhyn Road - Planning Application (14/12942)

UPDATE

The appeal was dismissed on 15th September 2015

• A planning application was made last year to build a 7 storey student development with 106 units on the site of John Ashley Motors at 73-77 Penrhyn Road.
• This was rejected. However Ensco 864 Ltd have appealed against this decision.
• Copies of original comments will be forwarded to the Planning Inspectorate but if you want to make additional comments follow the instuctions in this document.

5. Eden Walk regeneration

UPDATE - 22 October 2015

• There will be a public exhbition of the current plans on Friday 23rd October from 10am – 7pm and Saturday 24th October: from 10am – 4pm at Unit 30-32 (formely Household Furniture)Union Street entrance, Eden Walk Shopping Centre
• This link summarises points made by the Kingston Resident's Association about the current plans

• British Land have developed plans for regenerating the Eden Walk area of the Eden Quarter. The website outlining their plans is www.edenwalkregeneration.com.
• A public consultation is currently underway. For details see this link.

6. Eden Quarter Development Brief

Kingston Council published a development brief for vast Eden Quarter of Kingston (see map) which outlines a vision for the area that combines "high quality retail,leisure and commercial uses with active public space and residential living". After consultation, if the development brief is adopted, it will become a Supplementary Planning Document and will be taken into account when looking at future planning applications. For more information see this webpage or read this pdf file.

7. Kingston University New Town House (15/12549)

UPDATE

The application below was approved unanimously on 11 August 2015