The draft North Kingston Development Brief

Dear All,

No doubt you have all received an advice from our Council that a consultation over the above mentioned draft Brief is now in force. Please note that the consultation period expires on 5th September.

Details of this document can be found on the Council’s website – www.kingston.gov.uk/consultations – then scrolling down to the “draft North Kingston Development Brief”.

Following the consultations that took place in 2013 and 2014, we are again looking at the intended closure of Kingsgate Road, with the vast majority of its traffic being re-routed through to our own Seven Kings Way. The draft Brief does make mention of the opening of a left turn into Richmond Road from Sopwith Way, but it cannot be that many motorists will select this route if the proposed one of Seven Kings Way is available to them. Furthermore the proposed left-hand turn would not be available to heavy goods vehicles, emergency services and buses (the latter operating for 24 hours per day), with all of these to pass by our front door.

In simple terms, the Council are proposing to convert what should be a quiet residential road into a fairly major thoroughfare. It is hard to believe that the officials have ignored the fact that on one side of our road is our large and tall development plus the rear of the one at 12 Skerne Road and on the other side will be the Queenshurst development, this to consist of at least 315 dwellings and rising to 9 storeys. The implications of noise and air quality pollution must be of significance.

When this plan was first put to the public in 2013 there were 69 objections from Royal Quarter residents, including the RQRA, plus several others from our neighbours. This level of protest led the-then decision making Council Committee to approve the aims and objectives of the plan but this subject to there being a full assessment of the traffic implications. As a result of this a Kingston Town Movement Study was undertaken by outside consultants, this completed in 2015. The conclusions of this did not in any way suggest the use of Seven Kings Way as the replacement for Kingsgate Road, but instead proposed that the traffic should be re-routed via a left turn from Sopwith Way into Richmond Road. This was something that we proposed in 2013 and in 2014 and, as confirmed at a RQRA Committee meeting held on 6th. August, we remain fully on board with this proposed solution. Members of our Committee did express their approval of the various other objectives contained in the draft Brief.

So, to ensure that Seven Kings Way remains undisturbed (save for the new traffic to be generated by the arrival of the Queenshurst Development), could I respectfully ask you to participate in the consultation exercise? For those preferring not to do so via the Council’s website as outlined above, responses can be made by email to “localplan@kingston.gov.uk” or by post to Strategic Planning Team, The Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, Guildhall 2, High Street, Kingston upon Thames, KT1 1EU.

Please do take part in this exercise to ensure that our Councillors are again made fully award of the strength of our feelings.

With Regards, Sumit Thakur Chairman, RQRA