The Richmond Burial Ground Trust is scheduled to meet on Wednesday, 10 December 2025, at York House. The meeting will cover topics such as the proposed Circular Economy Hub at Grove Gardens Chapel. The meeting may be filmed for live or subsequent broadcast via the council's internet site.

Circular Economy Hub at Grove Gardens Chapel

The committee will receive a report about the proposed Circular Economy Hub at Grove Gardens Chapel, located within the Richmond Burial Ground site. The Circular Economy Hub is described as:

a local initiative to enable residents to adopt circular behaviours as part of their everyday lives, providing a space for items to get repaired or swapped, as well as promoting skills, knowledge and confidence in repair and reuse.

The first phase of the project, provisionally titled 'The Fixery', is planned to launch in March 2026 and will run for 12 months. The Twickenham Repair Café and Dr Bike will offer repairs of electricals, textiles, and bikes. There will also be resale of second-hand items via commercial partners such as Loved Before, and a clothes swap. The site plans to include a refreshments stand.

The report pack states that Habitats & Heritage have advised on ensuring that there will be no negative impacts on biodiversity from the introduction of a Circular Economy Hub on the site. The area of hardstanding near the Monkey Puzzle tree in the Burial Ground site is due to be cleared from overgrowth, and this will provide an opportunity for occasional temporary uses such as the Dr Bike stand in that location and occasional pop-up use.

The report pack states that biodiversity and the interaction with the surrounding Richmond Burial Ground site has been considered as a key element of the proposals for the Circular Economy hub. As part of the project delivery there are plans to enhance and promote information boards to educate residents on the local biodiversity and steps they can take to encourage and support native species.

The committee is recommended to note the report, provide feedback on the approach and support the use of the Richmond Burial Ground site for occasional activities related to the Circular Economy Hub.

The report pack states that council officers are determining whether it would be possible to provide in-kind or financial support to the Burial Ground Trust for access and usage of the site for Circular Economy related activity.

The Circular Economy Hub supports the delivery of the Our resources focus area of the Richmond upon Thames Climate and Nature Strategy¹. It directly delivers against action 15 of the 2025 Action Plan - Creating the infrastructure for a zero waste economy. An Equality Impact Needs Assessment will be completed as part of the development of this project.