Tag Archives: Worcester Park

Worcester Park 2031 – Your chance to plan our future

Sutton 2031 – Your chance to plan our future

An artist’s impression of the Tramlink extension.
An artist’s impression of the Tramlink extension.

Sutton Council has launched a major consultation into the development and growth of the borough over the next 15 years.

Sutton 2031 asks people to help shape a new Local Plan, the document that provides the planning framework for future development.

Between 18 February and 8 April, local people are encouraged to give their views online or to attend any of the 22 exhibitions and meetings to discuss the Local Plan with our planners. To find out details or take part in the consultation they should visit www.sutton.gov.uk/sutton2031

Why is Sutton 2031 important?

The Greater London Authority predicts Sutton’s population could rise by 31,272 to 228,521 by 2031. To meet that challenge Sutton must provide new housing, and the infrastructure to support it, including additional schools, employment, improved transport and more health facilities.

The Local Plan designates the location and size of these developments, and also the pace of growth. The amount of people working and living in the borough will determine the amount of infrastructure needed to support them.

For example, the Greater London Authority forecasts Sutton will need 7,000 more jobs by 2031. If they were all office jobs, the borough would need to find the space of around nine football pitches to accommodate them.

By being proactive in planning for future growth the Local Plan can help retain the borough’s character and environment by protecting Sutton’s heritage and green spaces, and helping to cut pollution.

The consultation also includes the Town Centre Masterplan and London Cancer Hub Development Framework. Masterplanners are currently working on both of these projects and Sutton 2031 will give people the chance to review and comment on their draft proposals. Their views will be taken into account as part of the design process.

Cllr Jayne McCoy, Chair of the Housing, Economy and Business Committee, said:

“The London housing crisis is already putting Sutton under pressure so now is the right time to decide what the future of our borough should look like. Together, we need to ensure that growth works without losing Sutton’s essential character.

“We understand people love the suburban nature of our borough, the tree-lined streets, quality parks and open spaces. They also value our heritage, our district centres and high streets whilst seeing plenty of room for improvement in Sutton town centre.

“We have arranged our widest ever programme of consultation asking residents to help us determine the right places to concentrate growth, and achieve a quality of place that enhances all that is good about the borough.

“The message to our residents, businesses, developers, landlords and our young people is to get involved, and get everyone you know to get involved. What is in Sutton 2031 will affect you, and it will certainly affect your children. This is your opportunity to shape the future of our borough.”

Town Centre Masterplan

The development will bring retail, residential, and leisure opportunities to the area.
The development will bring retail, residential, and leisure opportunities to the area.

The Town Centre Masterplan is to help improve Sutton Town Centre so that is it fit for the future. As our main commercial district and the fourth largest centre in south London, its future success is critical to the borough. It must provide high quality services in a high quality setting, while also evolving the retail and leisure offer, increasing employment opportunities, providing new homes and generating revenue for local services.

The London Cancer Hub

The London Cancer Hub is a proposal to expand the operations of the Institute of Cancer Research and the Royal Marsden Foundation NHS Trust onto brownfield land in Belmont. It aims to bring together 10,000 scientists, clinical and support staff in a world leading Hub for cancer research, treatment, education and enterprise. Sutton Council has purchased part of the site for a secondary school with a planned specialism in the sciences to help our young people to start careers in this exciting sector.

Worcester Park

A key part of the Local Plan ‘Issues and Preferred Options’ document are the ‘potential site allocations’ that may be needed for development within Sutton up to 2031. The Other District Centre Potential Allocations section lists possible building sites in the borough’s district centres, including:

Worcester Park

  • S37 – MCMILLAN HOUSE 54-56 Cheam Common Road (already being converted from office space to residential use)
  • S44 – LIBRARY CAR PARK Stone Place
  • S45 – 1 LYNWOOD DRIVE Central Road
  • S46 – 165-181 CENTRAL ROAD Central Road
  • S47 – 1-9 WINDSOR ROAD Windsor Road
  • S48 – TELEPHONE EXCHANGE Longfellow Road
  • S49 – STONEPLACE CAR PARK Stone Place
  • S50 – SCOUT HUT Braemar Road

North Cheam

  • S35 – VICTORIA HOUSE London Road (proposed redevelopment under consultation)
  • S36 – CHEAM LEISURE CENTRE 316 Malden Road
  • S38 – CORNER OF 667-681 LONDON RD COVEY ROAD
  • S39 – WILSONS VAN CENTRE London Road
  • S40 – PETROL GARAGE SITE 688 London Road

Have your Say

Sutton Council will be seeking your views on the Local Plan Issues and Preferred Options document from 18th February to 8th April 2016.

To get involved and have your say they are holding a series of events where you can meet with planning officers to ask questions and find out more in person. In the Worcester Park area:

  • Saturday 5 March 2016, Exhibition: 10-12:30, Worcester Park, near HSBC
  • Thursday 17 March 2016, Presentation: 19:00+ (see the agenda for the scheduled timing of this item).  Cheam North and Worcester Park Local Committee, Christ Church with St Philip, Ruskin Drive, Worcester Park.

You can also contact the Planning Policy Team by email to sutton2031@sutton.gov.uk and on 020 8770 6453.

Friends of Parks

The Friends of Parks groups in the London Borough of Sutton are looking to recruit more volunteers. Each year hundreds of people regularly help with the borough’s 80 parks, which cover 438 hectares – about 8.5 per cent of the borough.

There are around a dozen Friends of the Parks groups, each consisting of between five and 100 people. Some Friends of Parks volunteers are very active, tidying up their park by picking up litter, painting signs and doing all sorts of things to help.

When people volunteer they are asked to join an existing Friends of Parks group. Should they be interested in a park without a friends group (Cuddington, Dorchester and Buckland Recreation Grounds?) it is suggested that they get together with neighbours and friends and set one up, by either contacting their ward councillors or the Park Service. They will then be sent a draft constitution, which they can then amend, and which will help them set up a new group.

To volunteer and join one of the Friends of Parks groups or to found a new group, contact Mark Dazell, Head of Parks at Sutton Council, on 020 8770 4695 or email mark.dalzell@sutton.gov.uk.

Temporary closure of ‘Pig Alley’ footpath

Pig Alley, Worcester Park
Pig Alley, Worcester Park

The section of public footpath running between Boscombe Road and Trafalgar Avenue, known locally as Pig Alley, will be closed from Monday 10 November 2014 for approximately one month. The closure is necessary while a shared use footpath for pedestrians and cyclists is constructed along this section of the footpath.

This will form the first section of a new cycle route which will eventually run from the Garth Road / Green Lane junction in the London Borough of Merton along Green Lane to the stables then via the current footpath to Trafalgar Road and onwards towards Sutton. Subsequent sections of the route will be constructed as funding is identified and allocated. It is hoped the section from Boscombe Road to the stables in Green Lane will be constructed next year.

Cycle route plan – section 1

Cycle route notice – section 1

Emergency electricity works in Central Road

Due to recent high voltage faults on the network and recent interruptions to our electricity supply UK Power Networks plan to overlay a 250 metre section of new cable in Central Road, Worcester Park.

The works will involve placing multi-phase traffic signals in the carriageway to enable them to excavate and install a new piece of high voltage network.

The works will take place from the entrance to Waitrose car park in Stone Place and then down Central Road to just beyond the junction of Green Lane.

The works will start on the 28 July 2014 and last for 4 weeks. They will be working extended hours whilst works are in progress to try to minimise disruption.

Proposed cycle route for Worcester Park

Proposed improvements to the footpath between Boscombe Road and Trafalgar Avenue could provide a new off-road cycle route for Worcester Park.

The proposal is to up-grade the existing footpath, by providing a 3m wide tarmac path and allowing pedestrians and cyclists to use it.

The benefit of improving the path is to encourage more journeys by bicycle and on foot. This section of path is part of a longer route that leads to the borough boundary with Merton to the north at Green Lane. Merton Council have recently up-graded their section of Green Lane to provide a good surface for pedestrians and cyclists. It is not intended to provide street lighting along the path as it is to be promoted as a daytime route only.

Residents near the route are being asked  for their comments but if you have any thoughts on this proposal you can e-mail Traffic.Postbook@sutton.gov.uk quoting reference T30086/3 by Friday 25 July 2014.

The results of this consultation will be reported to your ward councillors for consideration.

Worcester Park resident guilty of council tax fraud

Mrs Suna Grainger, of Stoneleigh Avenue, Worcester Park appeared at Wimbledon Magistrates Court on the 24thJune 2014 having been charged with two offences of failing to declare a change in circumstances in order to obtain Council Tax Benefit from the London Borough of Sutton and Income Support from the Department for Work and Pensions.

The court heard that Mrs Grainger claimed to be living alone as a single parent with no income when in fact her partner was living with her and working. This resulted in an overpayment of benefit totalling £9,164.99.

Mrs Grainger pleaded guilty to the two charges levied against her. In passing sentence the Magistrates stated that although her claim was not false from the outset, when her partner returned to her property she failed to notify the relevant authorities and she continued to receive benefits she knew that she wasn’t entitled to receive.

Mrs Grainger has been sentenced to a 60 hour community punishment order to be completed within one year. Costs of one hundred pounds where awarded to the prosecution along with a victim surcharge of sixty pounds.

Speaking after the case, Councillor Nick Emmerson, lead member for Revenues and Benefit at Sutton Council said:

“Mrs Grainger lied to the council in order to falsely claim thousands of pounds in Council Tax Benefit she was not entitled to.

“Council Tax Benefit exists so that people can receive help when they need it. Mrs Grainger abused this scheme and as a result now has a criminal record.”

If you think someone is claiming Housing Benefit, Council Tax Benefit or a Council Tax Reduction they are not entitled to, please call the Council’s Investigation Team, in confidence, on 020 8770 5687 or go to the websitewww.sutton.gov.uk.

Alternatively call the National Benefit Fraud Hotline on 0800 328 6340 or Textphone on 0800 328 6341. You can also follow the Investigation Team on Twitter @LBSInvestigates.

All change at Worcester Park station

Worcester Park station following footbridge removal
Worcester Park station following footbridge removal

You may have noticed from this weekend’s Social Media activity or from a visit to Worcester Park station that things have changed. The new footbridge and lifts are now open and the old footbridge has disappeared. It is sad to lose the old bridge which was part of the character of the station but the new bridge and lifts now make the station fully accessible and, as a bonus, enable you to change platforms under cover.

The new layout should also reduce the queues for the Oyster card readers and crush for the exits during the evening rush hour by splitting those heading for the Kingston side of the station and car park from those needing to go to the Sutton side and shops. It may even make the front two coaches of ‘down’ trains a little less crowded as people reposition themselves for pole position to cross the new bridge.

View from new Worcester Park station footbridge without old footbridge
View from new Worcester Park station footbridge without old footbridge

It feels like it has taken a long while to complete the project but it’s good to see the benefits now available to Worcester Park rail travellers.

Central Road recycling centre to close

The Neighbourhood Recycling Centre located adjacent to the Lindsay Road bus stop at the top of Central Road will be closing on 11 July and the space it currently occupies will be returned to pavement.
The action has been taking due to the misuse of the facility and the consequent cost to the Council. This facility currently accepts the same items as domestic green bins so it was felt there would not be a major impact on residents.
The recycling facility in the car park near Worcester Park library and Waitrose, which accepts a broader range of items, will remain but will be closely monitored to detect the antisocial minority dumping non-recyclable waste and fly-tipping. If you see improper use of either facility please inform Sutton Council and if appropriate keep a note of the offending vehicle’s registration.

Sutton is the greatest borough in London, says new mayor Arthur Hookway

The new mayor has described Sutton as the greatest borough in London and has pledged to celebrate community spirit in his time in office.

Councillor Arthur Hookway, who lives in Worcester Park, is new to Sutton Council after winning a seat in Worcester Park ward in last month’s elections but was made the borough’s first citizen at a meeting on Monday.

More: www.yourlocalguardian.co.uk/news/local/suttonnews/11268543.Sutton_is_greatest_borough_in_London__says_new_mayor/

Council to block new bars in ‘saturated’ areas of Sutton

Opening new pubs and bars in ‘saturated’ areas of the borough is to become more difficult as the council cracks down on problem drinking.

Sutton Council has declared several areas of the borough ‘saturation zones’ meaning anyone wanting to obtain a licence to sell alcohol in those areas must prove they meet stringent criteria and that they will not contribute toward alcohol related crime.

The council has identified seven zones, including Sutton High Street, Wallington town centre and Central Road in Worcester Park, because they have been particularly troubled by alcohol-related issues like violence and anti-social behaviour.

More: www.yourlocalguardian.co.uk/news/local/suttonnews/11259960.Council_to_block_new_bars_in__saturated__areas_of_Sutton/