Working For Residents
Hinchley Wood Residents Association is an independent body. As a
registered political party
, we put forward candidates for local elections. Our councillors represent the interests of Hinchley Wood independently of national political parties.
On Elmbridge Borough Council, we work in cooperation with the Elmbridge Residents Group.
Through our network of road representatives, we keep in close touch with issues affecting the local community. If you would like to be put in touch with your road representative, please use the
contact form
. The form can also be used to raise issues directly with the Association's officers and our councillors.
We welcome volunteers to help with the work of the Association, whether as road representatives in the small number of roads which do not already have one, or as committee members. If you would be interested, please get in touch using the
contact form
, or come along to one of our open or general meetings to find out more.
Our priorities are:
-
Planning: support sustainable development with the necessary infrastructure, and resist inappropriate development.
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Green Belt and open spaces: continue to protect our Green Belt and other open spaces, and encourage their use for recreation.
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Resident wellbeing: support the elderly and vulnerable members or our communities, and promote local recreational opportunities for the young.
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Amenities: promote and maintain our thriving communities by protecting and enhancing local shops and other amenities.
The Association's achievements include:
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Consistently protecting the Green Belt, right back to the pre-war proposals to develop the Lovelace Estate for housing, which would have filled in the whole area between Hinchley Wood, Claygate and Chessington
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Resisting the HASQUAD (Heathrow and South West Quadrant) transport study proposals in 1993, which would have blighted the local area
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Working with the Residents Against McDonalds (RAM) group and individual residents in the successful campaign in 1999 to stop McDonalds taking over the site of the former Hinchley Wood Hotel
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Campaigning successfully for a pedestrian crossing in Hinchley Wood, which was installed at long last in 2006
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Working to ensure that the redevelopment of the A309 government offices site (Hinchley Park) was done in way that reflects community concerns
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Representing the local community's interests in relation to the Elmbridge Local Plan, being developed against a background of central government pressure to accommodate many thousands of ne dwellings in the borough
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Practical action to brighten the neighbourhood up, for example by tackling graffiti, litter picking and planting spring bulbs
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Pushing for action on problems that are the responsibility of Surrey County Council, e.g. flooding in Heathside
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Successfully resisting Surbiton High School's plans for a large sports hall on green belt land, despite lack of support from Council officers.
HWRA works with the Elmbridge Residents Group, and co-operates with
Thames Ditton and Weston Green Residents' Association
to secure residents representation on Elmbridge Borough Council in Hinchley Wood and Weston Green ward.
History
The Association was founded in 1932, at the same time that Hinchley Wood itself came into being as a new development at the intersection of the then-new Kingston By-Pass and the Waterloo to Guildford via Cobham railway line. The early history of Hinchley Wood and of the Guildford via Cobham railway are recounted in Howard Mallinsons’s book, “
Hinchley Wood: Origins of a 1930s Settlement
” and “
Guildford via Cobham: The Origins and Impact of a Country Railway
”.
Highlights of Hinchley Wood Residents Association's work on behalf of the local community include:
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1932 - First meeting of the executive committee, Mr Royston Pike secretary
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1933 - HWRA fielded 6 candidates for election in the Long Ditton Ward. HWRA candidate Dr McDonald elected. Later on that year, Hinchley Wood made a separate ward with 3 councillors
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1934 to 1939 - HWRA closely involved in development of the new Hinchley Wood, held regular public meetings and provided the Hinchley Wood ward councillors for the District Council
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1939 to 1945 - During the 2nd World War, no public meetings were held although there were some executive committee meetings
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1945 - Mr Royston Pike elected President
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1945 to 1956 - HWRA was closely involved with further developments in Hinchley Wood: primary school, war memorial and gardens, recreation ground, train services, street lighting and preservation of the Green Belt
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1980 - Mr Royston Pike, A councillor for 32 years died. A memorial to him is on Telegraph Hill
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1988 - Mr Bill Gibson a HWRA councillor for 24 years and the first Independent mayor, retired from the council
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1999 - Ward boundaries changed so that Hinchley Wood only entitled to 2 councillors
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2000 - Millennium gate installed in the Memorial Gardens, and HWRA registered as a political party
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2012 – HWRA Councillor Janet Turner Mayor of Elmbridge in Olympic and Queen’s Diamond Jubilee year
Read more about Hinchley Wood on Wikipedia
here
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