The Place Committee of Kingston upon Thames Council met on Thursday 12 March 2026 to discuss a revised policy on abandoned vehicles and to review actions within the Council Delivery Plan for 2026/27 relevant to the committee. The meeting also included a review of the Local Development Scheme for the Local Plan.

Review of the Abandoned Vehicle Policy

The committee was scheduled to consider a revised Policy on Abandoned Vehicles, which was intended to update the approach to dealing with reports of vehicles and the processes followed when vehicles meet specific criteria. The current policy, agreed in 2017, was being updated due to an exponential increase in reports of abandoned vehicles, with 2025 seeing an average of 81.5 reports per month. The revised policy aims to provide a wider scope for vehicles to be removed, notably by removing the value of a vehicle as a factor in its removal. The proposed policy outlines a procedure where vehicles meeting certain criteria would be served with a notice, and if not claimed within a specified period, would be eligible for disposal. Disposal methods include secure storage, transfer to an authorised treatment facility for recycling, or sale at auction. The policy also details how nuisance vehicles and those causing obstruction might be dealt with under other legislative powers. The report indicated that the financial risk of the proposed policy change was minimal, with the existing budget expected to cover potential increases in activity. The revised policy was scheduled to come into effect on 1 April 2026.

Council Delivery Plan 2026/27

The committee was set to review actions within the draft Council Delivery Plan for 2026/27 that are relevant to the Place Committee's remit. The Delivery Plan outlines the key actions the Council will take to achieve the priorities set out in the Council Plan (2023-27), which focuses on themes of Fairer, Safer, Greener, Together, and Future Council. For the Place Committee, this included actions related to maintaining safe and well-maintained streets, providing effective grounds maintenance services, delivering the Biodiversity Action Plan, and supporting tree planting. It also covered actions related to improving air quality and sustainable transport, such as completing the strategic cycle network and implementing new school streets. The plan also highlighted efforts in waste reduction and recycling, energy and carbon reduction, and boosting economic development and growth. The committee was asked to recommend these actions to the Corporate & Resources Committee for approval.

Local Development Scheme for the Local Plan

A revised Local Development Scheme (LDS) was scheduled for consideration. This scheme establishes a new work programme for the production of the Borough's Local Plan. The revision was prompted by upcoming policy changes at regional and national levels, including the government's ambition to accelerate housing delivery and the Greater London Authority's development of a new London Plan. The updated LDS covers the period from December 2025 to December 2027, with the submission of the Local Plan targeted for 31 December 2026 to meet a government deadline. The next step outlined in the LDS was a Regulation 19 consultation in summer 2026.

The meeting also included standard agenda items such as public questions, petitions, apologies for absence, and declarations of interest. The minutes of the previous meeting held on 5 February 2026 were also scheduled for confirmation.