WELCOME to the website of the Raynes Park and West Barnes Residents' Association, designed to inform you of current local issues and to provide a brief history of the local area and the Association. 

All our members receive our monthly magazine "The Guide", which continues to be delivered by our volunteers.

"The Guide" has local information, news, events and advertising. For more information about advertising in "The Guide", click this link.

Our Association , which is run completely by volunteers, works on behalf of our local community. We are a NON political association, welcoming everyone. 

The current membership year runs from March 2025 to February 2026 and costs the very low annual subscription fee of £3.   

Click here to contact our Treasurer and become a member.

UPDATE 20/11/2025

Berkeley Homes has now submitted its planning application to building 586 flats in 5 blocks up to 16 storeys high, on the Gas Holder site in Motspur Park. Due to the location of the site and its access to the public road network, Berkeley Homes has submitted its planning application to both the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames and London Borough of Merton.

The details are as follows:

Merton Application No: 25/P2859                 Closing date for comments: 10 December 2025

Kingston Application No: 25/02562/FUL      Closing date for comments: 12 December 2025

(It is also on Sutton's website, Ref: DM2025/014260 but is not yet open for comments)

Read more Here. Our Association's objection submitted to Kingston's planning department may be read Here

Our Association's comments submitted to Merton's planning department may be read Here 

Chairman's New Blog - October 2025

OPEN MEETING IN MOTSPUR PARK

We are holding our Autumn Open Meeting in Motspur Park, on Tuesday 14th October, from 7pm to 9pm. It will be held in Blossom House School, courtesy of the helpful staff.

GAS HOLDER SITE

The first issue we will discuss is the proposal by Berkeley Homes and SGN to knock down the gas holders in Motspur Park to replace them with housing. The company has held some consultation meetings with residents, and we expect a formal planning application to be lodged with Kingston soon, perhaps in time to be discussed at the meeting.

There will be high-rise buildings, and some may be as high as 16 – 18 storeys. The intention is to build one and two bed apartments and to make 35% of them affordable.   As we reported in the September Guide the gas holders are situated in the borough of Kingston, but there are concerns all around the area, affecting Merton and Sutton as well as Kingston.  Many of the issues relate to traffic, both during the construction work and on completion, and to the proposed heights of the blocks.

Concerned residents from associations around the site will be welcome at the meeting. It will probably be suggested by the planners that the road access to the site during the development and building stages will be from the level crossing at Motspur Park. This is likely to take a number of years and cause major congestion, given the sheer volume of demolition and building work required.  It would only be possible if the heavy traffic turned left at the crossing. When the site is fully developed, many residents will want their own vehicles. The company has already suggested a residents’ parking scheme in local streets, which has also caused concern.

ARTIFICIAL PLAYING SURFACE

Another issue to be discussed is the proposal by the Council to build an artificial playing surface on part of SJHMPF near the playground. We do not yet have full proposals.

​CROSSING OVER BUSHEY ROAD

Bushey Road is a dual carriageway which has a 30-mph speed limit up to the traffic lights at Grand Drive.  Many motorists drive  much faster than the limit. There is no safe crossing between the lights at Martin Way and the lights at Grand Drive, but many people try to cross the dual carriageway, going to or coming from the Apostles Roads.  Some of these are elderly or have small children

Residents and local councillors have requested a crossing mid-way, but apparently a feasibility study  may take two years. 

John Elvidge, Chairman

Motspur Park Gas Holders - Planning Application

NOVEMBER 2025

Berkeley Homes has now submitted its planning application to Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames for the redevelopment of the Gas Holder site in Motspur Park (Application Ref: 25/02562/FUL).

Due to the proximity of the site to Merton, the application has also been submitted to the London Borough of Merton (Application reference 25/P2859).

A dedicated website set up by a local resident, encouraging us all the “get involved”, provides an excellent list of the key matters of contention in the applicant’s planning documents, may be found here:

https://motspurparkgasholdersgetinvolved.com/

It also suggests the crucial issues to raise in your objections to Planning Committee for the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames and the London Borough of Merton. This website is being updated on a daily basis.

Objections must be submitted to Kingston before 12 December 2025 and to Merton by 10 December 2025.

Our neighbouring residents’ association, Station Estate Residents’ Association Kingston (SERAK) has also set up a very informative website, that very clearly sets out the various points of objection to this planning application, together with links to the Kingston Planning Dept website, where you can view all the details of the Berkeley Homes planning application.

https://www.motspurparkgasholderstoptheoverbuild.com/ 

All members of the public, whether resident in Kingston or not, are entitled to submit their objections to this planning application to both Kingston and Merton.

Our Association's objection submitted to Kingston may be read HERE.