To minimise the impact, the first of the bridge repairs are due to start at the same time as schools break up for their summer holidays – work is planned from the 26th July 2010 for 15 weeks.

Buses will be diverted in a similar plan to the temporary closure earlier this month and when not fully closed, traffic will be managed by using temporary traffic lights below the bridge during Mon-Fri and weekends 8am-6pm.

Traffic using Upper Teddington Road will still be able to turn onto Vicarage Road, however due to safety concerns traffic exiting Vicarage Road will only be able to exit right onto the High Street.

This stretch of road is one that TFL is considering as part of a scheme for removal of traffic lights in efforts to get traffic moving more quickly all over London.

Dates of full closure of Upper Teddington Rd and full closure of one of the footpaths from 8am-6pm
Sat 31st July – Sun 1st Aug
Sat 7th Aug – Sun 8th Aug
Sat 14th Aug – Sun 15th Aug
Sat 21st Aug – Sun 22nd 8th Aug
Sat 28th Aug – Sun 29 Aug
Sat 16th Oct – Sun 17th Oct

If you require any further information about the scheme/diversion then contact:

Community Relations
Network Rail
London and South East
Kings Place
90 York Way
London
N1 9AG
Helpline: 08457 114141

Despite signs that the scheme was doomed to be scrapped, opponents were still being asked to register their objections against the council planning application page which has probably smashed all records for the number of comments submitted!

His statement on the matter: “Plans to introduce car parking charges in these parks were the subject of fierce public opposition from the moment they were first proposed, some 18 months ago, and the local MPs have been lobbying me hard so, after discussing it with them and with the Mayor’s office, I’ve decided to scrap the idea immediately. Given the current economic climate, we will need to find alternative sources of income instead, but we will try to respect local residents’ views and preserve the environment of these wonderful and precious spaces too.”

One scheme being considered is a monthly farmers market in Richmond and Bushy Parks that may include the sale of park-reared venison.

One of the sights that will continue to be enjoyed for free: Diana Fountain at the centre of Bushy Park. Photo: 4orty7even

Opposition MPs such as Zac Goldsmith gave assurances before the election that the charges would be scrapped if Tories came to power and the new coalition Government has now honoured this pledge ensuring that visiting the borough’s parks will ‘never become a budget decision’.

Since the new Government has taken power some swift changes including this one have come into effect including the reversal of the planned luxury housing development on Twickenham Riverside – a piece of which was handed back to the public yesterday to be used as a sun terrace, with promises of more public consultation about the future use for the whole site.

Other changes however are in the form of huge cost-cutting to help public finances starting with the cancellation of almost £2billion worth of projects. Amongst those to be cancelled is Labours ambitious “Building Schools for the Future” programme – leaving over 700 planned school regeneration projects paused for the forseeable future.

Some schools in Teddington however are already undergoing Government and privately funded redevelopment and expansion this year so will surely be unaffected by these cutbacks. Teddington is certainly undergoing changes for the better – strengthening its reputation as a hotspot for excellent schools and regenerating run-down areas and buildings into more appropriate and attractive uses in some notable developments.

Teddington School is amongst those with planned major work over the summer holidays. To celebrate the end of the ‘old school’, pupils, staff and parents – past and present – are welcome to attend an exhibition and series of tours on Saturday, July 10th 11am-2:30pm. This will be the last chance to see the existing school before the new building is unveiled in September. For further info email: pta@teddington.richmond.sch.uk.

Following the strong backlash Network Rail received after new fencing was installed without any local consultation, they have finally bowed to pressure and agreed to remove the barbed wire and change the fence for a more acceptable alternative.

Richmond and Twickenham Times are to feature this story soon and are asking that residents to turn up tomorrow morning (Thursday 1st July) at 9:50am at the Station for a photo to accompany the article about how the community fought and won this battle using ‘people power’.

[Update] Thanks to all those who turned up for the photo that accompanied the story in the printed paper.

Photo: Brian Holder (Teddington Society)

See also Network Rail letter to Vince Cable confirming the changes that will be made.

The recession has hit commercial landlords specialising in office space hard and Teddington has not escaped this general trend – different uses for empty offices are increasingly being explored. Budget hotel chain Travelodge are seeking to secure a long-term 25 year commitment which is much greater than the normal short-term office space leases.

As for the need for a large hotel in Teddington, the planning application states that demand regularly outstrips supply in the area – aside from some bed & breakfasts, more upmarket Park Hotel and the Lensbury are the only notable hotels in Teddington itself. General tourism, being with short distance from Heathrow and subsequent easy access to London, Hampton Court etc would mean that rooms would be regularly filled, as well as other local draws such as Teddington Studios (audiences regularly travel from far-afield) and there is also a steady stream of visitors to the NPL who already has corporate rates in-place with other nearby Travelodges.

The existing building conversion will happen almost entirely internally only so will hopefully have little impact on the look of this prominent building – a separate application will be submitted for the advertisement signage. It will be converted into a 113 bedroom hotel and the smaller ‘studio’ building next door will be demolished and rebuilt as an adjoining four-storey annex which will contain an on-site bar/cafe – usable by hotel guests only.

The building sits within the CPZ and although the number of self-contained car-parking is well within the recommended ratio vs room numbers, there is a risk that guests will simply park on surrounding roads outside of the CPZ-restricted hours and add extra pressure on already-crowded roads.

Currently 140 office workers occupy the building (using three of the five available floors) – as a hotel, about 100 employees will work here and an estimated 150 guests per night will stay, benefiting the local economy alongside local suppliers.

Travelodge’s own survey shows that private bar/cafe’s are only used by a minority of guests – almost three-quarters prefer to eat at local cafes, pubs and restaurants instead. Guests on average add £35 every day to the local economy and the total economic benefit to the neighbourhood could be between £0.6 and £1.2 million each year.

It should be noted that this planning application is independent of plans for a similar project in the centre of Twickenham also involving Travelodge, who have expressed their intentions to secure hotels at both of these locations.

Given that the site is within a mixed-use area that includes residential properties a public consultation to these proposals is to be urged. The full detailed plans can be found here.

Richmond United Group is a non-political informal community organisation committed to better consultation with residents. A similar consultation has taken place in St Margarets, and others will take place as sponsors are found.

Although RUG was heavily involved in the campaign to save 52% of the old Twickenham Riverside Bath site from being sold by the LibDem Council for luxury housing, it will now concentrate on ensuring better consultation over a range of issues across the borough. This and other questionnaires will inform its future policies.

If you want a say on the future of Teddington then you can register for the Teddington Residents survey – the first step in achieving the towns own Community Action Plan (CAP). This will help you to shape the economic, social and environmental well-being of our local area, by collecting your views on what you think is important to your life within the community. This first stage sets out to find what the general priorities are for the Teddington community including categories such as:

• Parks/open spaces/riverside
• Energy issues
• Shops
• Waste/recycling
• Wildlife
• Consultation with council
• Teddington hospital
• Schools/education
• Increased housing
• Local businesses
• Public services
• Youth facilities
• Planning
• Recreation
• Streets/public areas
• Transport

Richmond Upon Thames Recycle is a great way of both finding a home for items you no longer have a use for or if you’re after some cheap wares yourself. Don’t forget local charity shops though which rely on smaller items that are of saleable quality – recycle schemes such as this however are a good way of finding a home for electrical items and large furniture which aren’t accepted by most charity shops.

You can also sign up for companion site Richmond Cafe which is used more for general advice and info.

Although it’s unlikely that anyone will argue that the buildings should stay for aesthetic reasons, critics of the project have been vocal about concerns that include overcrowding roads and general facilities, whilst some businesses still operate from the site and don’t want to have to relocate.

Throughout the design phase, developers Ashill Developments have been in regular contact with Richmond Council highways officers, ward councillors, nearby St Marys and St Peters Primary School, one-to-one meetings with nearby neighbouring property owners and finally a public exhibition which was attended by over 100 individuals.

Reaction to the plans was very mixed – some see the demolition of the buildings and new modern houses as a positive step for the area but others feel that the proposed dwellings don’t have enough green space or parking. You can review the feedback and comments made here.

From the junction of Queens Road/Park Lane pedestrians can now cut through to the Coleshill gate for the first time. This new route will be open from 6:30am to 8:30pm daily. As well as being handy for general park-users, nearby cricket and rugby sports clubs will now be able to park just outside of the park wall rather than take the longer route through the park itself to use the internal car parks.

The bad news is that dogs are not allowed to be walked along this shortcut and the new car parks will fall under the newly agreed parking charges which are now in the planning permission phase.
[Update]: parking charges now dropped and dogs are allowed through this route.

Both the Conservatives and Lib-Dems opposed the car-parking charges for Richmond and Bushy Parks so along with the new third runway at Heathrow being scrapped by the new coalition government, perhaps the parking charges will get the same treatment.

The building was originally a residential care home for children with learning disabilities and more recently a respite care home but closed almost ten years ago. It’s current reincarnation as “St Johns” will support adults with learning disabilities to help them live normal lives within the local community.

Funded by the Orione Care, the state-of-the-art building will now be home to tenants nominated by Richmond Upon Thames Borough where residents will live as independently as possible with the help of Walsingham care agency.

This is one of the several buildings provided by Orione Care – an English charitable company funded by Catholic Congregation “The Religious Congregation Sons of Divine Providence” which was founded in 1893 by St Luigi Orione. His motto was “Do good to all; harm no one“

To commemorate the occasion the building was dressed up in colourful bunting as the new residents welcomed members of the organisation to make their appreciation known.

Bishop Howard Tripp, retired auxiliary Bishop of Southwark, led a liturgy for a blessing of Colombo House. Three of the Sons of Divine Providence clergy were in attendance as was Joe Moffat from St. Mary’s and St. Albans representing Churches Together in Teddington.

Past and present staff also attended – some of whom had worked in Colombo House when it was a children’s home and speeches were read by various guests as well as the Colombo family whose father Angelo originally donated the building.

“Whilst I appreciate that the residents were hoping to retain the old fence, safety must remain Network Rail’s highest priority. It is therefore imperative that we maintain fences to our standard. If fences no longer meet our safety standard, they have to be replaced. There have been instances of trespass and fly-tipping, and the fence line runs alongside the track, so it is vital that we protect the public.”

In addition to the fences recently installed, the last of the original blue iron fences will be also replaced with the newer standard chain-link fences.

Some good news though – the barbed wire will be removed, the platform will have additional planting and in partnership with South West Trains the footbridge will get a long-overdue windows replacement and re-paint.

Another high-street refurbish, slight extension and re-launch is under-way and from the looks of the submitted plans the ‘Auberge’ name will be dropped when the business re-opens as simply ‘Kings Head Pub Brasserie”

[Update] see here for info

SpaNails is now open for business in the place of Caroline Turner Shoes. Staff are offering a range of high-quality nail treatments/extensions for reasonable prices – pick up one of their discount cards and every 6th visit has a £5 discount.

Feedback has been very positive from early adopters which will be music to the owners ears – they chose Teddington as an ideal location for their new shop despite their commute from Elephant and Castle each day.

Tel: 020 8973 3758 for appointments (walk-ins also welcome). Open Mon-Sat but available for call-outs for special occasions on any day of the week.

The window of an empty shop has been at towards what sort of business may be moving in and we can now confirm that the High Street will be soon have its own authentic Italian ice-cream parlour! The owners of Cafe Cafe (a few doors down) are aiming to have this new venture open in June just in time for Summer. More details to follow.