Wildlife Circus

Despite 81 objections, including those from CPRE and the Kingston Society, the officer's report recommended approval of the Pump House planning application to be presented at the Surbiton Neighbourhood Committee. However, councillors did not agree and unanimously 'refused to approve' the application on four grounds paraphrased below and available on the councils YouTube channel Surbiton Neighbourhood 25.4.24 . The change of use to office and car parking was not seen as compatible with Metropolitan Open Land (MoL). Cllr. Hayes said that office use was not normally considered appropriate on Mol. Fragmentation of the Pump House from the rest of the site severing the link with the rest of the site, which would prejudice future use as a nature conservation site. Core strategy: Surbiton neighbourhood policy S1 and the Surbiton vision to make safe the site for the public (riverside walk) and nature conservation. Conservation area appraisal pertaining to the sites special industri

23/01636/FUL The conversion and change of use of the Pumphouse building.  The planning file is disappointing and inaccurate: there has been no correspondence from the consultants to the London Bat Group inbox. I did contact them about the Bat Survey last year - but there was little interest in the information relayed - I am the trainer for the London Bat Group. The original mitigation strategy for the bat roost is not being applied to this application. The site has been validated as  Open Mosaic Habitat by the University of East London. The planting proposed around the wharf and pumping station will have an impact on the OMH. This is because invasive species and species not characteristic of the plant community are included with the proposal. There is reptile interest  at the wharf and a mitigation strategy was drawn up in 2018 for an application that falls under Elmbridge council see below.