NEW MALDEN RESIDENTS' ASSOCIATION

New Malden Residents’ Association.

The association was founded in 2009. It was formed at the time to protect over the development of a quiet residential road,
It succeeded and has gone on to influence and be consulted on other major developments within our area of KT3. We aim with this site to provide support and information, to residents affected by potential developments; to monitor the providers of services to our community and challenge them when they fail. We also aim to provide some social activities along the way and of course, we are open to suggestions and offers of help with the Association's work.Our aim is to bring residents together and build an integrated, clean, safe and friendly place to live.

Come and join us..... 

The Fountain pub development was considered at Development Control Committee on 19^th July, and two of us (Liz Meerabeau and Anthony Evans) spoke against it. The application is for the restoration of the pub (including the removal of the single storey extension) and building 45 flats, in a 3-4 and 4-5 storey building along Burlington Road. 9 of the flats are ‘affordable’ and 6 ‘intermediate’ in price.

Such is the demand for housing locally that the size of a development is unlikely to lead to rejection, even though the administration in its election material recognised the risk of New Malden being swamped with hundreds of new flats. However, several councillors were concerned about the design, particularly the building adjacent to the pub, in a so-called ‘modern’ flat-roofed style and finished in a very shouty red brick. They thought the building damaged the street scene, and said that ‘New Malden deserves better than that’. The outcome was a deferral, possibly to the September meeting, with RBK working closely with the applicant to improve the design.

The chair, Cllr Bamford, also recalled the petition two years ago to save the Fountain roundabout, so there was a hint that there may be some section 106 money to improve the roundabout.

 Overall, the best outcome we were likely to get.

Liz Meerabeau

Chair
New Malden Residents Association.

Further reading:

The detailed planning application and images

Artists impression from The Roundabout

Previous entries on our site

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.

The air con units at the rear of Bar Malden (Rear corridor to the station) have long 

harboured pigeons and their resulting droppings….we lobbied the Bar Manager -

The Brewery also the building owners. 

We’re not sure who did the cleanup but Many Thanks.

Our next planned Litter Pick is Saturday 23rd June 

when we plan to give The Cut - opposite the station a much-needed spruce up.

Email us if you would like to join us.

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……..

'OUTSTANDING  SERVICE  TO  THE ROYAL  BOROUGH

New Malden Residents’ Association members will be delighted to learn that committee member and former chair, Frances Marsh, was given an award for her community-mindedness at a ceremony on 13th March, at which the mayor, Cllr Julie Pickering, recognised local residents ‘worthy of special recognition’ who have made a difference to their communities. Frances was recognised for her work both with NMRA and as a founder member of the New Malden Farmers’ Market. 

Frances said ‘not only was I very surprised at being put forward for this award, but was hugely impressed by the other award winners and the voluntary work being carried out.   In particular the young people still at school who managed to fit in many hours a week around their school day.

The news today (20^th February) is that the Gambling Commission has fined William Hill a whopping £6.2m
penalty for breaching anti-money-laundering and social responsibility regulations.

In the first instance, “10 customers were able to deposit money linked to criminal offences from which William Hill
gained £1.2m” and in the second instance, William Hill’s controls were insufficient, allowing customers to bet with
money they obviously did not have.   In these latter instances, virtually no review was made on the customers’
financial standing, one of whom was stealing from his employer to fund his gambling habit.

The Chief Executive of William Hill, in a statement made the following assertion:

"We are fully committed to operating a sustainable business that properly identifies risk and better protects customers.”

"We will continue to assist the Commission and work with other operators to improve practices in the areas identified."

What a pity they didn’t think of this before.   How many more companies have been operating in the same way?

“The government is now weeks away from a crucial decision on fixed-odds betting terminals, the gambling machines
found in high-street bookmakers up and down the country. The maximum stake could be cut from £100 to as low as £2.” 
  Let us hope that the Government will now act on FOBTs.

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.

GO CYCLE - 
NEW MALDEN TO RAYNES PARK CYCLE SCHEME

Another issue that is giving the Council, and residents, somewhat of a headache.  

At the present time, there is the New Malden to Raynes Park Cycle/Pedestrian 

route and Kingston Road - New Malden to Kingston town.  

Two members of the NMRA are meeting with Neil West (Project Manager, Go Cycle ) 

and Ben Addy of Sustrans on 11th October to discuss the latter route and also Crossrail 2. 

A full report of this meeting with be published on our website.

As far as the Kingston to New Malden route is concerned, there will be a stakeholder 

meeting in Autumn 2017 and after detailed design work is carried out, a report will

go to committee in Spring 2018.

Go Cycle consultations page

Go Cycle - The Route