The London Forum of Amenity and Civic Societies NEWSLETTER DECEMBER 2020 News Local History The Museum Planning and Obituaries p10 Safer Streets page 3 pages 4-6 refurbishment p7 Environment p8-9 The Common p11 page 12 Wimbledon town centre TONY MICHAEL comments welcome intentions, on Merton Council’s picking up many of promoted Supplementary Planning the Society’s ideas. For office projects? Document, and on example, pedestrians are Developers have no interest or page 3 MATTHEW HILLIER to be given “the highest The Council’s earlier skills in town planning; they reports on a further delay priority”, together with proposal to somehow emulate get permission, they build, to Crossrail 2 cycles and buses, with a new Kingston and Croydon then sell and disappear. town square as a focal point, (strongly opposed by the Instead of promoting IN 2017 THE COUNCIL and Hartfield Road perhaps Society) has been dropped. offices, why not plan for new admirably set up a series of reverting to 2-way traffic to “Successful places are those housing which we all want public ‘workshops’ to discover free up the Broadway for with activity and culture” it to see? Residents are here what Wimbledon people pedestrians, cycles and buses. rightly says, and promises “a 24 hours a day, future office wanted to see in their town. Narrow-fronted shops in both step-change in quality” for the workers may be present a few The results were clear: mid- conservation areas are rightly enhancement of public spaces. hours a week. rise buildings (no higher than seen as ideal for the smaller Much of this is positive, Then there is the issue of the 22m of the 7 storey CIPD independents. One notes the welcome, and in line with our the height of new buildings. building), good pedestrian inclusion of phasing and the past responses, but the Society “Modest increase in building spaces via traffic intervention, use of ‘vision’. Future schemes has been unable to persuade heights” it says (5.3.50). In a good transport interchange, must deliver sustainability and the Council to rethink other the earlier drafts this meant arts and culture, shop space greening benefits, be resilient aspects. 18 storeys, but in the January for independent retailers, and to climate change, adaptable A major increase in “large draft it dropped to 14. more greening. and capable of re-use. floor-plate” office space is Now the map on page 52 The Council has now Additional railway crossings still being promoted, despite shows 12 storeys (48 metres) produced its Supplementary are proposed, linked to the reports by independent high. So much for the public’s Planning Document (SPD) Crossrail 2 scheme and there property analysts in 2018 views which were clear that for Wimbledon Town Centre, is to be substantial “greening” which poured cold water on 22 metres should be the limit. which will be used to brief of Wimbledon Hill Road, St proposals for such offices. The resulting ‘canyonisation’ developers. Mark’s Place, land beside the As the document admits, of our narrow streets is more So what does this new Theatre, the Barclays and with increased home working, suited to the very centre of Council document say, how Argos forecourts. St George’s and radical re-thinking of old London. does it respond to public Road and Queen’s Road are to established working patterns, Despite the phrases wishes or to the Society’s be boulevards. A new Station it is too early to determine the supporting pedestrians, traffic approach to the planning of Square will be the town’s impact of post-Covid home and the A219 still dominate our town centre, set out in focal point (today’s station working on workspace. the heart of the town. There Vision 2040? being described as “not fit for So how sensible is this is the tired phrase that There are some very purpose”). adherence to developer- “pedestrianisation (contd p3) For the latest information, go to www.wimbledonsociety.org.uk, www.wimbledonmuseum.org.uk or the Facebook page. n EDITOR’S NOTE n Wimbledon Society contacts President Tony Michael [email protected] AGM Report Chairman Jeremy Hudson [email protected] THE SOCIETY held its 116th Annual General Meeting Vice Chairman John Mays on Saturday, 3rd October 2020 at Wimbledon Park [email protected] Hall, Arthur Road. However, due to Covid-19 it was held under very different circumstances, with Government Hon Secretary Maureen Field restrictions on numbers attending in person, and other [email protected] members being welcomed via Zoom. A minute’s silence was observed remembering those Hon Treasurer Corinna Edge Society members who have passed away this year, [email protected] especially Oliver Bennett, James Leek and Richard Flavell, and all in our community affected by the pandemic. Planning & Environment Chairman Jeremy Hudson focused on events so far this Committee Secretary Liz Newman year and outlined how the Society is determined to remain [email protected] pro-active in the challenges to come. The new website, incorporating both Society and Membership Secretary Simon Ingall Museum websites, was successfully launched in July. With [email protected] this launch comes our new membership system providing benefits of secure registration, payment options, sign-up Museum Director Jacqueline Laurence for Gift Aid, booking events and purchasing publications. [email protected] Our Newsletter is now delivered both digitally and by post. We have also attracted 1,363 followers to the Local History Michael Norman Smith Society’s Twitter feed. The Planning & Environment Committee had a busy Website Asif Malik [email protected] year, so far reviewing 164 planning applications and responding to half of them. We are also concerned with strategic and environment issues, including the Council’s Wimbledon Society Newsletter revised masterplan for the Town Centre, new Local Plan, Editorial team and Local Government Boundary Commission’s proposed Sally Gibbons [email protected] Ward changes. The Society is currently preparing Nigel Davies responses to the Government’s consultation on proposed Monica Ellison, Asif Malik, John Mays, Jeremy Hudson changes to the planning system. Letters to the editor Using the enforced closure of the Museum, Please email [email protected] refurbishment plans have been brought forward, or write to Sally Gibbons c/o The Museum of Wimbledon, 22 Ridgway, SW19 4QN and £89,000 is already allocated to the project. A refurbishment fundraising campaign will be launched in Printing: The Wimbledon Print Company, the New Year. The Museum will remain closed during 257 Haydons Road, SW19 8TY [email protected] 2021, with re-opening scheduled for Spring 2022. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter Unfortunately, two lockdown casualties have been www.facebook.com/TheWimbledonSociety @wimsoc our Activities & Events programme, and the Exhibition to celebrate the 150th Anniversary of the Wimbledon & The name of the Wimbledon Society or that of the Museum of Putney Commons Act 1871. However, a Wimbledon Trail Wimbledon must never be used to promote personal activities or written work without written permission from the Society. around the Common is being prepared, allowing members The articles and photos in this newsletter are copyright of those credited to participate. or, where no credit exists, of The Wimbledon Society. No part of this The Chairman recorded his appreciation of the support newsletter can be copied or reproduced without the express written permission of the copyright holder. received from members during this difficult time. MAUREEN FIELD 2 | December 2020 n NEWS n The Dons return home Wimbledon BookFest JEREMY HUDSON celebrates Cup victors in 1988. return to Merton, with a new the return of Wimbledon’s The club was forced to stadium as close as possible to receives own football team to their leave its Plough Lane home its ‘spiritual home’ in Plough spiritual home in 1991 after publication Lane. This ambition gathered lifeline grant of the Taylor Report on momentum as AFC rapidly THE WIMBLEDON COMPETITIVE professional ground safety, following the ascended the football pyramid, BookFest is one of 1,385 football returned to Plough 1989 Hillsborough disaster. achieving promotion to the vastly differing organisations Lane on the evening of Wimbledon’s last first-team Football League in 2011. which has benefitted from the Tuesday 3 November 2020, fixture there was on 4 May In 2013 AFC entered into Government’s £1.57bn Culture after an interval of 29 years, 1991. For the next 12 years the discussions with Merton Recovery Fund, administered when AFC Wimbledon played club’s home was at Selhurst Council over a joint bid for by the Arts Council. The Fund Doncaster Rovers in a League Park in a ground-share with the Wimbledon Greyhound is intended to help cultural One match, in their new Crystal Palace. Then, in 2003 Stadium and surrounding organisations across the stadium. the club relocated to Milton land, in cooperation with country to face the challenges Founded in 1889, Keynes, being rebranded as developer Galliard Homes, to of the pandemic and ensure a Wimbledon FC (originally Milton Keynes Dons a year build a new football stadium, sustainable future. called ‘Wimbledon Old later. Meanwhile, the old 600 residential units as well Fiona Razvi, Festival Centrals’) played on the Plough Lane ground was as shops and community Director says: ‘This news Common and on various redeveloped. facilities. In 2015 planning couldn’t have come at a temporary grounds in the In 2002 a new club, AFC permission for the scheme was better time for Wimbledon Wimbledon area before Wimbledon, was formed obtained, and construction BookFest and is a fabulous acquiring a permanent home by a section of the club’s started in March 2018.