EastSheenMatters

The High Tide Festival returns to Twickenham on Sunday 27th July 2025!

Music Lovers – there’s no need to book tickets, because High Tide is FREE for all to attend.

As part of the move towards self driving (autonomous) cars, most new vehicles in the last few years have had factory fitted sensors, radar and / or cameras. These vehicles offer e.g. lane assist and automatic braking, examples being Mercedes Benz Pilot, Tesla Autopilot and Ford BlueCruise. Recent Japanese and Korean cars, also most German cars, are equipped with these features which are either embedded, or in  some cases can be switched off via a sub menu. In a few years, full driving autonomy will be offered as AI and sophisticated algorithms improve.

At present, many cars have sensors and cameras fitted in vulnerable external positions. They can be stolen and resold on the black market. In East Sheen and South West London more generally there has been an epidemic recently of radar sensors being stolen. They are expensive to replace (£1,500 and upwards) as the sensors have to be recalibrated by a main dealer. Even run of the mill vehicles such as the VWGolf Mk VII, a very popular car, are vulnerable.

Theft is difficult to prevent until these valuable items are factory mounted in areas difficult to access. Some car manufacturers have done this already but many vehicles remain relatively easy to steal from.

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On 21 December 2024 EastSheenMatters asked questions about the future use of this property. The purchaser is a company called Little House Developments. You will have seen it behind boarding for some months.

At that time it was thought that their plans did not include a change of use requiring a planning application and that they intended to refurbish the property with a view to running it as a ”family club”.

But some aspects of the new plans do require planning permission and an application has now been submitted to Richmond Council – on 20 June 2025. The decision due date is 15 August 2025.

The application states that there will be alterations and extensions to the existing building for operation as a multi-level leisure facility . The Council gave permission for part of this three years ago and accepts that other parts fall within the existing Class E use. The plans now include:

Peter Reder writes in the June 2025 issue of the Barnes and Mortlake History Society Newsletter commemorating the 114 lives of servicemen (and women) in Mortlake and East Sheen (the same number as from Barnes) lost in World War II. He details the names and causes of the deaths.

His full paper is available from https://barnes-history.org.uk/publications/in-memoriam-barnes-mortlake-and-east-sheen-service-and-civilian-casualties-1939-45/

What if the DfE decides not to finance a secondary school at the Stag Brewery site in Mortlake, as is now being openly discussed as a possibility?

The section 106 agreement attached to the Inspector’s decision has a Schedule 4 which provides for what could happen in the event of the secondary school not going ahead.

In the event that the School Development does not come forward on the School Land, a number of supplemental obligations are necessary to make the Main Development acceptable in planning terms.

Schedule 4, drafted with a high degree of convolution, makes mention of Community Park Specification and an approved Enhanced Playspace Scheme. EastSheenMatters would be delighted to hear from anyone who understands the meaning of Schedule 4. The gist of it seems to be that the area would revert to being a Community Park, though still in the ownership of the developers. If as many have thought desirable for some years, a plan was to be formulated for Thomson House School to move to the site, it would require a further planning application.