The Surbiton Neighbourhood Committee convened to discuss community grants, traffic management, and planning applications, among other items. The committee approved a community grant for Namaste Kingston CIC and funding for Christmas trees, decided against changes to the Browns Road parking permit area, supported traffic calming measures on Surbiton Hill Road, and approved a planning application for Uxbridge Court, subject to amendments. The committee also received an update on the Seething Wells project and discussed the Tolworth Area Healthy Streets Scheme.

Community Grants Programme

The committee considered applications for a neighbourhood community grant and councillor ward funding, as detailed in the Community Grants Programme report.

• Namaste Kingston CIC: The committee unanimously approved a £3,000 neighbourhood community grant for Namaste Kingston, a community interest company, to support their Rangotsav 2026 project, also known as Holi, the festival of colours. Madal Himani from Namaste Kingston CIC explained that the organisation aims to integrate the South Asian community and promote contribution to the wider community through events like the Diwali function[^1]. Councillor Thay Thayalan praised the organisation as well-established and active within the community. [^1]: Diwali is a five-day festival celebrated by Hindus, Jains, Sikhs and some Buddhists.
• Christmas Trees: The committee unanimously approved the allocation of £6,346.40 of councillor ward funding to provide two Christmas trees, one in Surbiton at the roundabout and another in Tolworth at the junction of Prentiss Avenue and Yule Road. Councillor Alison Holt supported the decision, noting that local businesses and residents were collaborating on future festive arrangements.

Seething Wells Update

Tim Naylor, Director of Planning and Regeneration, provided the committee with an update on the Seething Wells project, in line with the Place Committee's resolution of 21 September 2023, as detailed in the Seething Wells Update report. The update included the following points:

• Historic England rejected the listing application for 85 Portsmouth Road, also known as the Chelsea coal store, stating that it did not meet the prioritisation criteria for designation.
• The council has a new biodiversity officer who will engage with the London Wildlife Trust to explore opportunities for improving the site's biodiversity, with the owners' support.
• The council is maintaining a dialogue with the landowners, who are open to constructive discussions and supportive of proposals if councillors are also supportive.
• The River Thames Scheme, a flood alleviation project, is not considering a compulsory purchase of the site.

Councillor Liz Green suggested that the methodology used to work with the community on this project was really good and should be shared more widely within the council. She also expressed disappointment that the landowners were unwilling to engage in dialogue unless the councillors expressed support for their plans beforehand. Councillor Anita Schaper echoed this sentiment, noting the developers' apparent lack of interest in biodiversity and their unwillingness to work with the local authority. Councillor Jackie Davies suggested asking the landowners to tidy up the pump house, which she said is the first building you see as you come into Kingston. Councillor Yogan Yoganathan requested to be kept informed of any meetings with the owners. Councillor Tom Reeve, Chair of the Surbiton Neighbourhood Committee, reiterated his offer to meet with the site owners.

Tolworth Area Healthy Streets Scheme

The committee discussed the Tolworth Area Healthy Streets Scheme, focusing on the possibility of a left turn ban from the A3 into Fullers Way North. Eunice Amadeh, Principal Engineer, presented the report, which outlined the feedback received from Transport for London (TfL) and the questions and answers from the 15 July 2025 meeting. The committee resolved that no further action would be taken regarding the left turn ban or any selective Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) solution. Instead, officers will continue to use healthy street indicators¹ to promote the health and well-being of residents. Councillor Jackie Davies asked if voting for this meant there was no traffic problem in Tolworth. Councillor Andrew Wooldridge responded that while nothing is perfect, the current situation is as good as it gets. Eunice Amadeh added that the council had tried everything to address residents' concerns, but any further action would have a huge impact on the whole area. She said that the current situation is acceptable and that officers would continue to monitor road safety based on data, not perception.

Introduction of Traffic Management Measures on Surbiton Hill Road

The committee considered the results of a local consultation on traffic management measures on Surbiton Hill Road, as detailed in the report. Despite a low response rate to the consultation, the committee approved the implementation of the proposed traffic island and speed cushions, subject to notices for the road humps.

Pete Coles, a resident of Surbiton Hill Road, spoke against the speed cushions, citing concerns about noise, disruption, and vibration, particularly for houses close to the road. He supported the traffic islands as a better solution. Eunice Amadeh responded that the speed cushions were designed to allow buses and HGVs to pass over them without going over the cushion itself, minimising the impact on these vehicles. She said that the design was in accordance with regulations and would not cause the vibration or impact outlined by Mr. Coles.

Councillor Peter Herlinger asked if the ambulance service had responded to the consultation. Eunice Amadeh said she had not seen a response from the ambulance service, but the police, fire brigade, and buses had responded with no objections, provided the designs conformed to relevant standards. Councillor Jackie Davies reiterated the resident's point that speed humps would not slow down buses and HGVs. Councillor Liz Green said that speed cushions cause a mobile roadblock, slowing down all vehicles, including larger ones.

Councillor Anita Schaper asked if there had been any instances of cars overtaking on the blind bend on Surbiton Hill Road. Eunice Amadeh said she could not guarantee the behaviour of drivers, but a safety audit had not identified any issues with the scheme. Councillor Alison Holt questioned whether both the traffic island and speed cushions were necessary, suggesting implementing the island first and then considering the cushions in the future. Eunice Amadeh responded that the island alone would not achieve the desired outcome of slowing down traffic.

Councillor Ian Manders expressed concern that wider vehicles could drive straight over the speed cushions. Eunice Amadeh said that the cushions were designed to be 75mm high, which is lower than previous designs, and that they would slow down traffic. Councillor Liz Green said that the modern speed cushions would have a minimal effect on noise and vibration compared to older designs.

Councillor Jackie Davies proposed an amendment to remove the speed cushions from the plans, but later withdrew it. The committee then voted to approve the implementation of both the traffic islands and speed cushions, with eight in favour, none against, and four abstentions.

Planning Application: Uxbridge Court, Uxbridge Road

The committee considered a planning application 24/02181/FUL for Uxbridge Court, involving the removal of an existing pitched roof and the erection of a fourth-floor extension to create two dwellings with a bike store. Lucy Bennett, Principal Planner, introduced the item. Paul Lewis, Claire Street, and Liam Street, registered objectors, spoke against the application, raising concerns about the impact on the Cadogan Road conservation area, the impact on neighbours, the lack of community engagement, and the balance of harms and benefits.

Councillor Liz Green asked about the history of the applications for this site, noting that a previous application had been refused on design and heritage grounds. Lucy Bennett explained that the current design included a setback from the outer parameters of the building, which addressed the previous concerns. Councillor Anita Schaper asked about the layout and ceiling heights of the proposed dwellings. Lucy Bennett said that the dwellings complied with policy D6 of the London Plan² regarding gross internal area and ceiling height, and that any noise concerns would be mitigated by securing an acoustic report as a condition of approval. Councillor Alison Holt asked about the bin storage and the water tank. Lucy Bennett said that the preference was for bins to be located at the rear of the property, but that the main priority was for the new dwellings to have access to water. Councillor Amir Ali Khan asked if the previous applications had been refused by officers, and Lucy Bennett confirmed that this was the first time the application had come to the committee.

Councillor Andrew Wooldridge asked about the public benefits of the proposal, given the acknowledged heritage harm. Lucy Bennett responded that the benefits of two additional dwellings, given the council's inability to demonstrate a five-year housing supply, outweighed the less than substantial harm to the conservation area.

Councillor Liz Green raised concerns about the potential for residents to walk around the sides of the building, impacting the privacy of neighbours at 25 Uxbridge Road. She also raised concerns about the bin storage, the bike shed, and the need for a car park management plan. Councillor Alison Holt agreed with the need to relocate the bin storage to the rear of the property and to implement a car parking management scheme.

The committee then moved to amend the motion to include conditions about the privacy of the balcony, the location of the bins, the bike shed, and the car park management scheme. The amendment was unanimously approved. The committee then voted to approve the planning application, subject to the amendments, with ten in favour and one abstention.

Browns Road Area Permit Parking Area Review

The committee considered the Browns Road Area Permit Parking Area (PPA) Review, as detailed in the report. Eunice Amadeh presented the findings of a parking beat survey conducted on 24 April 2025, which indicated spare parking capacity throughout the day across the area. The committee resolved to maintain the existing parking arrangement in the Browns Road Area Permit Parking Area unchanged.

Councillor Alison Holt thanked the highways team for carrying out the additional work, noting that residents on Warwick Grove had expressed concerns about the level of parking.

Work Programme

The committee reviewed the work programme and noted that the anti-social behaviour update, originally scheduled for 9 October, had been removed from the council's forward plan. Future updates will be reported to the neighbourhood chair's forum and then passed back to the neighbourhood as needed.