NEW MALDEN RESIDENTS' ASSOCIATION

This Association gives notice of our 

ANNUAL  GENERAL MEETING

        Tuesday 20th November 2018

at

The Methodist Church - High Street - New Malden - KT3 4BY

6:30 for 7:15 start

Following the Association Bussiness

Robin Hutchinson MBE

Director of 'Community Brain' 

Robin is a Director of The Community Brain, with much of his work focused
on encouraging people to engage with ‘place’ not ‘space and influencing the
design and regeneration of community assets, like the High Street.
He is a founding Trustee/Director of The Rose Theatre, Kingston, 

and Chair of the charity Creative Youth, organisers of the International
Youth Arts Festival, held annually in Kingston. Robin was awarded an
Honorary Doctorate from Kingston University for works in the arts and
communities and an MBE in the 2015 New Years Honour’s list.

All are welcome but to vote, nominate or be nominated you will need to be a member.

Please email for full details of the Agenda and order of business. 

 If you are a member of this Association and have not received official notification, please email us - newmaldenresients@gmail.com

On 9^th October NMRA organised and hosted a panel discussion on a vision for New Malden. It consisted of Cllr Malcolm Self, portfolio holder for planning policy, Cllr Nicola Sheppard, opposition spokesperson for housing, and two speakers on public involvement in planning: local resident Peter Karpinski who is pursuing the creation of an Urban Room, a venue where development schemes can be presented and debated, and Jean Vidler of the Kingston Environment Centre, who has participated in the consultation on the Tolworth Plan. In the audience were several other councillors and ex-councillors, and Robin Hutchinson, creator of the Community Brain and ShedX and well-known social entrepreneur.

Questions from our membership centred on development in New Malden, and we were pleased to hear that the SPD (outline planning document) for Cocks Crescent drawn up by the Conservatives will be adopted to avoid more time being wasted, and that we are likely to get a new leisure centre. We must keep reminding councillors that both the pool and adult education serve much of RBK, not just NM, so there should be investment from the rest of the borough, not just from profits from a joint development on Cocks Crescent.

A year ago at our AGM we asked Ed Davey MP for an Area Plan for New Malden. He doubted that we would see one before the local elections, but these have now taken place and the Lib Dems are in power. A Local Plan for the whole of RBK is now in prospect so we will not get an Area Plan, but we want NM to get the same level of detailed attention that Tolworth has had. We don’t want to end up as a dormitory of tower blocks. NMRA will also be pursuing discussions about the High Street (having had rather muted responses from the councillors on our panel). Councillors in Doncaster, surrounded by Amazon warehouses and much more deprived than NM, are working with local people to turn the centre of town into a ‘noisy, very human-focused place for socialising and collective experience’. If Donny can manage it, why not New Malden?

On September 29th The Team were out and managed to collect
over one half ton of rubbish - including some very usefull finds. 
The remainder was recycled at the Council tip.

Another successful collaboration between ourselves and Kingston Environment Centre.

Thank you to those who eagerly assembled at Green Lane on Saturday morning.
Newly designed Hi-Viz jackets were worn with pride. Items found to vary on each outing -
this time a wallet - driving licence - a very usable child's bicycle -a new black jacket -
and a lot of ‘Thank You’s’ were collected and lots of things you really do not want to know about.

As always the conclusion was reached that more bins are needed at various locations,
we will keep the pressure on for these sites to be adopted.

When it was taken to the tip it amounted to over ‘Half a Ton’ which was carefully sorted
and put in the correct recycling areas.

Well done to you all.

You can see the photo's HERE

The second litter pick in 2018 organised by the NM Residents' Association, in conjunction with the Kingston Environment Centre,  saw eight volunteers clear the Pathway from Green Lane to Berrylands, The Cut, the Station, Blagdon Open Space, the Burlington Road Bus Stop and the pathway leading from Blagdon Road through to the A3.   Other than paper, plastic, beer cans, wine bottles, sundry items, one of our volunteers found drug paraphanalia which was taken to the Police.   

We collected about 25 sacks of rubbish - a sad comment on how little we care about our environment.   However, many people who saw what we were doing expressed not only their surprise, but their thanks and hopefully this might, just might, have a knock on effect.

WHERE DID IT START…...

Soon after Christmas, we were alerted by a member that three painted troughs had appeared by the rear entrance to New Malden Station. Items ‘appearing’ is not unusual and we endeavour to get them removed - chairs- boxes - even a lighting gantry and filing cabinet were dumped there last year and by fair means or foul we got them removed. 

The troughs however we decided could be an opportunity to brighten up the area. With donations via ‘Next Door’ of topsoil and compost ( totalling 30+ bags), we managed to fill the troughs with labour supplied by  KEC (Kingston Environment Centre) and this Association. We combined our Litter Picking event on Wednesday 21st March with the planting of the troughs….. many thanks to all who helped. Our urgent need now is a bin that will enable smokers who shelter in that area to dispose of cigarette ends that gather at an alarming rate.

LITTER PICKING 21st March

Our Litter picking was blessed with good weather and was not only a public service but a chance to meet fellow residents. With tools supplied by ourselves and KEC with Rangers Dale and Jackie delivering bags and picking sticks. They also cleared  28+ of the bags and other items collected. A special mention to the Chatsworth Road area team who did sterling work litter picking and clearing and repairing timber fences broken by careless motorists using their turning circle. 

WELL DONE ALL……..

We are always campaigning and taking action on litter.
A further blight on our streets is abandoned cars.
One member has had success in getting abandoned cars
removed. In the past 9 months, 4 have been cleared
from just 3 of his local roads. He has passed on two
easy steps which will get results.

Spot the signs:

Go on line HERE with the registration number
and vehicle make to check the status
of: Insurance - MOT and whether taxed.
_________________________________

If not legal to be on the road go on line HERE
with the vehicle location and you can report.
The removal time will depend on the type of
law infringement - you will have done well
and another eye sore will be removed from our
streets.
This last link enables you to report all manner
of highway problems to the Council.

New Malden Future Group
(NMFG) 

There has been some misinformation about this Group in the past.   A full listing of the members of the Group which come from the NM Residents’ Association, The Groves Association, the Community of New Malden Businesses and concerned residents, can be found HERE  This Group does not receive any money from the Council and, in fact, pays for printing and any other expenses from members’ own pockets.   We have worked with the Council, and residents, over the past two years to ensure that Cocks Crescent does not end up just another “down at heel” town centre, that continues to blight so many of our towns and cities throughout the UK.  We, along with everyone else we imagine, hope that the Council does not go back on its word to continue working with residents on this project.    It is an opportunity for architecture and the building trade to do something that does not end up being blocks of flats with absolutely no design merits and which could overshadow existing buildings in the centre.   New Malden is not the most stunning small town in the UK - but we should be enhancing what we have and not using second rate development that continues to blight our country.  
Good design has got to be essential.