LAST CHANCE TO ACT!

Open fields will be built over, wildlife habitats lost, and high-rise blocks introduced into a neighbourhood that has never had them. More than 2,000 homes are proposed in Chessington – with no clear evidence that roads, transport, utilities, doctors or other essential services will be improved.

We need a Local Plan – but one that is sustainable, deliverable, and right for our community.

What’s happening?

Before the May local elections, our councillors and MP Sir Ed Davey publicly supported residents in opposing development on Green Belt land including the Hook Park development. Yet within weeks of the election, Kingston Council published a new Local Plan that:

• De-designates Green Belt to “Grey Belt”
• Includes the Hook Park development
• Allocates sites for high-rise buildings and traveller pitches

The key sites

• Hook Park (Clayton Road) 2,000 homes in 25 high-rise blocks
• Former Chessington Golf Course (Garrison Lane) 256 homes
• Traveller accommodation 52 permanent pitches across the two sites

The former golf course and the fields of the Hook Park site are sanctuaries for wildlife. The new Local Plan guarantees a 20% biodiversity increase – but provides no credible explanation of how building on this land achieves it.

What this scale of development means for Chessington

If these proposals go ahead, they will:

• Increase Chessington’s population by one third
• Add thousands more vehicles to already congested roads
• Heighten safety risks for pedestrians and cyclists
• Overload buses and trains that are already full
• Stretch GPs, dentists, hospitals and utilities beyond capacity
• Introduce high-rise blocks that destroy local character
• Remove scarce Green Belt land and vital wildlife habitat
• Open the door to further development on neighbouring plots

This is not a small change – it is a fundamental transformation of our area.

Take Action Now

This is the final consultation – and your voice matters

The current consultation is called Regulation 19. It is the last chance to challenge Kingston Council’s Local Plan before it is sent to the Government’s Planning Inspector. At this stage, comments must be based on legal compliance and soundness – not simply whether you like or dislike a proposal.A short, well-reasoned comment can make a real difference. But it must be your own words – duplicate or copy-and-paste comments will not be counted.

Deadline: 4th September 2026

How to submit your comment

Online: www.kingston.gov.uk/localplan
Email:  ocalplan@kingston.gov.uk
Post: Spatial Planning Team, Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames, Guildhall 2, High Street, Kingston KT1 1EU
In person: Pick up a form and stamped envelope at any open library or the Information & Advice Centre, Guildhall 2.

Find out more

The Chessington District Residents’ Association website has guidance on how to write an effective Regulation 19 comment, key points you may wish to raise, plus links to all Local Plan documents and the evidence base.

Visit https://www.chessingtondra.org.uk/kingstons-local-plan/

Need help compiling your comment? We appreciate the council’s process can seem daunting. We can help you structure your response. Please contact Sue Towner at sue.towner@yourlisteningear.co.uk / 07734 136697 or Residents Against Hook Park at residentsagainsthookpark@gmail.com for support.

Can you help us? If you have experience in law or planning and can spare time to help, please email us at chessingtondra50@gmail.com.