Manor Road, Richmond is closed outside 66 for Cadent Gas utility works.
And to be absolutely clear the signs say ‘No through road’.
And further the estimated completion date has now been extended by a week to 23/12/2025.
Contact: Cadent Gas 0800 389 8000.
This notice is in a shop window on the Upper Richmond Road near the north end of Richmond Park Road.
The same questions still apply.
No identified applicant, treatments or premises. It is said that it is to be a nail bar. How many is that in East Sheen?
The business seems to be proceeding with its plans, kitting out the premises as can be seen in the latest picture. Without the grant of a licence?
Undated – so by when must you give notice of a wish to oppose the application?
Or is it perhaps notice of an intention to make an application?
Watch this space.
“This council expresses deep concern that:
· only 40 genuinely affordable homes were completed in Richmond since March 2022, with zero so far this year.
· Affordable housing supply has dwindled year on year since 2018 – just 166 completed since 2018/19 when this administration took over, yet 491 new affordable homes were completed over the previous eight years.
This council reiterates the need for social rent housing and commits to pursuing all options to increase their number including, but not limited to, converting Shared Ownership, Market, and London Living Rent to Social Rent on developments already given planning permission and hereafter.”
Not surprisingly the ruling party carried an amendment negating the criticism.
Richmond borough has been accused of not building enough social housing for low-income residents.
Opposition councillors said Lib Dem-run Richmond Council needed to do more to build homes for social rent, as they claimed none of this type of housing had been completed so far this year.
A motion tabled by Green councillor Niki Crookdake claimed only 40 “genuinely affordable” homes had been built in Richmond since March 2022, which she defined as those available for social rent, with zero so far this year.
She claimed only 166 of such homes had been completed since the Lib Dem administration took over from the Conservatives in 2018.
The motion urged the council to commit to pursuing all options to increase social housing levels on development sites, including converting tenures of homes on approved schemes to social rent.
Affordable housing options, as defined by the Greater London Authority (GLA), include homes for social rent, like council homes, those for London Living Rent, which is set at one-third of local average incomes, and homes for shared ownership, where people buy part of their homes and rent the rest.
Cllr Crookdake said she did not count homes for London Living Rent and shared ownership as “genuinely affordable” as they were out of reach for most low-income residents during a debate on Tuesday (2 December).
The council’s housing monitoring report for 2023/24 said a net zero of the 506 homes under construction in the borough were for social rent.
Cllr Crookdake called on the authority to push for more social rent homes on existing development sites.
She said: “The council needs to face the truth. Our affordable housing delivery has been poor and this was partially avoidable.
“Until the administration takes responsibility for its record and starts to invest more in existing sites, we will not move forward to constructive conversations about how to fix Richmond’s housing crisis.”
But Lib Dem councillor Chris Varley accused the motion of being a “disingenuous misrepresentation, citing figures without context and ignoring the reality of how housing delivery actually works”.
He said the administration had inherited a minimal affordable housing pipeline when it took office in 2018 and had “worked tirelessly” since then to rebuild it, with the benefits now coming through.
The Lib Dem administration put forward an amended motion counting all affordable housing options as “genuinely affordable”, while stressing the council was prioritising the delivery of social housing over other tenures.
Cllr Varley said the council had completed 81 “genuinely affordable” homes since March 2022, counting all options, with 22 built so far this year and more than 500 extra affordable homes due for completion in the next five years.
He said the authority had also brought 130 empty homes back into use and bought roughly 50 homes to be used as temporary accommodation.
“That is real progress, especially compared with the very poor fruits inherited from the previous administration,” he said.
Lib Dem councillor Jim Millard said the council did what it could to provide social housing, along with the other “genuinely affordable options”.
He added: “We all know how difficult it is to afford to live in Richmond… these homes matter for people who can’t afford market rents but may not qualify for social rent, yet the Greens are dismissing these key workers, the Greens are dismissing these younger residents, the Greens are dismissing these older people who benefit from the option of almshouses.”
But Green councillors insisted the authority needed to do more to provide social rent homes.
Councillor Crookdake said: “There are serious questions about delivery capacity.
“Residents in temporary accommodation, in overcrowded homes, or trapped in substandard estates don’t need a rebranding exercise or redefinitions of affordable, they need homes they can live in and afford.
“Richmond has the tools, the funding, the grant programmes and now the expertise in officers, please can we use these?”
Acknowledgement to Richmond Nub News
Make your own mind up!
The Richmond Council handling of its takeover of Pensford Field was explored in EastSheenMatters during the summer, most recently at
The Trust which had operated the site for 30 years has now circulated a report on the current circumstances.
“We have recently collected awards from Green Flag and London in Bloom. In both cases, we received glowing reports notwithstanding the fact that we have not been able to plan for the future this year. The main suggestion from Green Flag was that we needed to signpost the field from the main gate – they visited shortly after the end of our lease so after we had had to take our sign down! From London in Bloom, we received a gold award and scored 181 points out for 200 – the report comments on the termination of our lease: “It is a sad note that the council has not considered the benefits of the community, and the period during which the community has cared for this site. Appalling.”
We now plan to apply to strike off the Trust in January 2026 after we have closed our bank account and drawn up our final accounts. We have already made donations to the following charities (the first three received just over £2700 and Habitats and Heritage received the amount they requested of £2000):
We are also archiving our records. The British Museum is going to “sweep” our website and make it available in the future. We hope Richmond Museum will look after our electronic and physical records. It is truly heartbreaking to look back at all the efforts made before and after the millennium to raise funds for planting, for connecting utilities to the studio and for constructing the pond – not to mention the many hours spent drawing up planting plans and toiling in the field itself.
The Council has acted with total disrespect for the generations of people who have contributed their time and resources to create the field as it is today. But then, there was never any doubt that this plan would be carried through after the meetings between the Leader of the Council, Cllr Gareth Roberts and Sir Mark Rowley, the Chair of Dose of Nature and the Metropolitan Police Commissioner, back in March 2024 when the fate of the field was sealed behind closed doors. These meetings were followed by internal Council meetings in July 2024 but the papers and minutes of those meetings have still not been made public following Freedom of Information requests dating back to late 2024.
One supporter has secured a decision from the Information Commissioner’s Office requiring disclosure so we may get these documents in the New Year – unless the Council appeals! But why is the Council spending legal costs resisting disclosure? What is there to hide or protect? The Epstein Files have now been released but for some unknown reason the Council is twisting and turning at every step of the way to resist disclosure of the Pensford information. It is an astonishing waste of taxpayers’ money. There are several other Freedom of Information requests being dealt with by the Information Commissioner but the Council continues to drag its heels until, they hope, the wind blows over. Well, I think a number of us have longer memories than they bargained for and we won’t let this lie.
We do not know if the Council has yet entered into a lease with Dose of Nature – we were told in early October that signing was imminent. Dose of Nature have not yet changed their charitable objects to enable them to incur costs for conservation of the field or community activities (although they said at the Council Committee in June 2025 that a change had been submitted to the Charity Commission some time previously). We can not find anything on their website that encourages community or access by schools and nurseries.
Please do not forget to use the field as much as possible – it should remain open to the public. If you come across any elected representative, please do quiz them on why the Pensford information is being withheld and why taxpayers’ money is spent defending the indefensible. But also ask why the promises made about school and community usage have not yet been delivered. With your help, we will keep Pensford Field as a community resource.”
Whatever the merits of the decision to seek to bring about a change of use of the land in question, the handling of the matter by the Council causes real concern and should be subject to detailed scrutiny. Instead as the Trust argues above it appears that the Council continues to drag its heels until, they hope, the wind ‘blows over’.
What is recorded in the documents that they will not disclose? Sometimes one meets opposition to disclosure on the basis of ‘business sensitivity’. How can that be the case here?
Engagement in such drastic opposition in this case drives a debate that the withheld documents must contain something truly scurrilous.
Tonight 515pm for 6pm Sheen Gate Choir at Christ Church
Next Sunday, 21 December Carol Services at St Mary’s, Christ Church and All Saints at 6.30pm. Everyone very welcome.
This notice is in a shop window on the Upper Richmond Road near the north end of Richmond Park Road. Bizarre or bazaar?
No identified applicant, treatments or premises.
Undated – so by when must you give notice of a wish to oppose the application?
Or is it perhaps notice of an intention to make an application? Watch this space maybe.
Manor Road, Richmond is closed outside number 66 (near the junction with Manor Gardens) to facilitate emergency Cadent Gas repairs to a gas main in the carriageway. Again.
If it’s not Clifford Avenue it’s Manor Road. Or both.
Cadent Gas operatives will be working extended hours to expedite a repair. Estimated completion date is 16 December. Contact Cadent Gas 0800 389 8000. Sent from my iPhone
In December the society celebrates its 70th anniversary. To mark the occasion, on Thursday 11th December they will have four mini-talks, looking at how Barnes and Mortlake have changed over the past seventy years.
This will be preceded by our usual Christmas social with plenty to eat and drink at St Mary’s Barnes from 7.15pm. Guests are also welcome (£5 entry for non-members).
Timings: 7-8:30pm (open mic), 8:30-9:30pm (jam), 9:30-10:30pm (open mic)
Location: The Home Guard Club House, 76a Richmond Park Road
Entrance: Members – Free, Guests £3
 | David Seddon on Christmas Lights |
 | ab021af8b09bd69 on Christmas Lights |
| ab021af8b09bd69 on Christmas Lights |
 | Joanna Ciechanowska on Christmas Lights |
 | Richard AH White on Barnes and Mortlake History So… |
