Conservative Councillor for Cheam, Holly Ramsey, is calling for help to save Cheam Park from Development.
Please sign this petition to save the Old Stables Block in Cheam Park from development. If the development of the Old Stables into a nursery were to go ahead, it would have a huge impact on neighbouring residents down Tudor Close and Malden Road in particular, who would see their already very busy roads turned into near enough chaos. Whilst I don't have anything against a new nursery for the area, this site is not appropriate.
OLD STABLES, CHEAM PARK by Jonathan Pritchard
The Old Stables in Cheam Park was the building that stabled the horses that served Cheam Park House. The House stood at the top of the slope towards the north-east corner of today’s park but after taking a direct hit from a bomb during the Second World War it was demolished. The land and the House had belonged to Mrs Bethell and the estate was acquired by Sutton Council, becoming a Park in 1937 under condition that, “the land be maintained forever hereafter as an open space for the use of the public”.
The Old Stables and the Lodge, which now serves as a home for a Council worker, are the last of the buildings that remain of Cheam Park House. Over the years both buildings were allowed to decay and whilst the Lodge had a major refit and building works done in 2011 to make it habitable, the Old Stables has just been left to rot. So much so that when the slates started to come off the roof, because the nails securing them had rotted away, the Council had to cordon the area off to protect Park users from serious injury that could have been caused by being struck by a falling tile.
The Old Stables though now is under a different kind of threat.
Sutton Council’s Planning Committee considered an application, A2015/71612/FUL (see http://gis.sutton.gov.uk/FASTWEB/images.asp) on 3 June 2015 to allow the site to be developed for use as a Nursery School. As a result of local residents objections though and the failure by the Council to consult adequately consideration of the application was postponed to allow more consultation. Initially, only 7 adjoining occupiers received a notice of the application and nobody could find the notice that is required to be displayed outside the building itself.
Access to the Nursery by car is only via Tudor Close and with some 80 children using the Nursery it will add significantly to traffic flows in Tudor Close. If parents then use the parking spaces there, when they drop off and pick up children, it will seriously disadvantage Park users, who are using the Park for the purposes envisaged in 1937.
There will also be teachers’ cars and the usual commercial traffic servicing the new Nursery School and the inevitable ambulances called to deal with injured or children that are unwell.
As part of the planning application the disabled conveniences intended for the users of the allotments will be lost as will some parking spaces.
The traffic flows have clearly not been considered by the Council planners. Tudor Close at the best of times is difficult to negotiate and at Bank Holiday Fairs, during school holidays, Saturday mornings when football is being played, etc., the traffic cannot access the road and people just park in Malden Road or the neighbouring roads.
The Malden Road is already very busy with long tail backs at peak times and the Sutton Guardian in the past has published letters from residents who complain about the traffic. But they have not been consulted and nor have residents in other roads who are likely to have to field cars displaced from the Park.
We urge you please to sign the two petitions attached.
One of these is addressed to the Council as owners of the building not to grant any lease or interest in the land to anybody who wants to use it for commercial purposes. The park was intended for use as a Park and its existence only just means that in Cheam, which is a relatively green area, meets the minimum standards of “amenity space” required under Planning rules.
The second petition is to the Council to refuse planning permission.
We also urge you to raise the matter with your three Ward councillors who were elected in 2014.