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Surrey County Council's Proposed Boundary Changes to Long Ditton
Proposed new boundary map

We would like to strongly encourage you to respond to the ‘Local Government Boundary Commission for England’ (LGBCE) consultation, which is proposing to separate Long Ditton from Thames Ditton and align us with Hinchley Wood instead. (https://www.lgbce.org.uk/all-reviews/surrey/feedback).

Whether you are in favour or against, the volume of responses will count, so we are encouraging all residents to respond before the deadline of Monday 16th October 2023. 

The LDRA and Thames Ditton & Weston Green Residents’ Association (TDWGRA) are completely against this proposed change and will be making representations accordingly. However, we need residents’ voices to be heard. All the LDRA Officers, LDRA EBC Councillors (Houston, Langham & Laino), SCC Councillor (Darby) and committee meeting attendees are completely against this proposal.

In our view, the clue is in the title, ‘The Dittons’. The proposed changes would separate Long Ditton from Thames Ditton, communities which, as can be gathered by the name, are very closely linked and have been since the Middle Ages. The Dittons have a lot in common and the two communities are closely linked by schools, friends and families, as much as by geographic proximity.

  • Stokes Field Nature Reserve in Long Ditton is used by many in Thames Ditton
  • Royal Mail identifies many addresses within Long Ditton as ‘Thames Ditton’ postal areas (e.g., Sugden Road)
  • We share a Scout Group – The Dittons 
  • ‘The Dittons Fair’ takes place on Giggs Hill Green, in Thames Ditton
  • Many Long Ditton residents visit Thames Ditton shops and the Farmers Market
  • Both communities use the pubs in each other’s locale (e.g., The Angel, The Limping Fox, The City Arms,  The Ferry, The George & Dragon)
  • The TDWGRA made a significant financial donation supporting the Village Green campaign in Stokes    Field and One Tree Hill, Long Ditton
  • Many Thames Ditton residents use the Long Ditton Green Belt land recreationally (as demonstrated via the Village Green survey)
  • LDRA & TDWGRA officers often collaborate on various issues and are fully united against this proposed change
  • Currently, one Surrey County Councillor serves The Dittons community as a whole
  • Long Ditton and Thames Ditton are not separated by any natural or man-made boundaries, the residential dwellings merge seamlessly

 

We understand that The Boundary Commission’s role is to consider three main criteria:

  • Electoral equality
  • Community identity and interests
  • Effective and convenient local government

 

We feel the proposals are at odds with all three of the Commission’s own criteria.

The LDRA strongly encourages you to vote against this nonsense change, which will lead to more costly expenditure, upheaval and wasted administration to fix a problem that does not exist in the Dittons. Please take a few minutes to complete the survey at the bottom of the web page https://www.lgbce.org.uk/all-reviews/surrey/feedback (Your ‘council area’ = Long Ditton).

Thank you for your time.

Your sincerely,

The Officers of the Long Ditton Residents Association.

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CRISIS WEEK!!

***  DEADLINE – Midnight MONDAY 30th SEPTEMBER  *** 

We are hearing that many people are still unaware of the vital Elmbridge wide Local Plan Consultation and far too few have responded.

Whatever your view, please spread the word and encourage people to respond by completing the questionnaire online NOW:

http://consult.elmbridge.gov.uk/consult.ti/LPOC/view

  1. Go to ‘Let us know your views’ section and find the ‘online questionnaire’ link
  2. For help, information and guidance in responding, please see the 2019 Consultation Guidance or visit the ‘SaveHWLDGreenbelt‘ website


You must have your say. Your voice counts. 

EVERYONE in your household can respond, including children with parental consent.

Non-Elmbridge Residents can respond too.

Remember – The Deadline is 30th September – Closing at Midnight!

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Changes to the way Elmbridge Planning Applications are Handled

Elmbridge Council is proposing to change the way planning applications are handled. We believe the changes weaken the power of residents to have a say in what happens in their local area and are therefore undemocratic.

The Current System

Three Local Area Planning Sub-Committees and one Planning Committee. The local area sub-committees are comprised of locally elected ward councillors, who know their area. The main planning committee is comprised of 17 councillors from across the Borough, but not every ward.

  • 92% planning applications are determined by planning officers, not councillors, under delegated authority.
  • Nearly all other planning applications are decided by the local area planning sub-committees, comprised of local ward councillors.
  • Minor applications (2-9 dwellings) are passed to the local area sub-committee when 5+ objections are received.
  • Major applications (10+ dwellings) area passed to the local area sub-committee for review.


The Proposed System

  • Minor applications (2-9 dwellings) only passed to the local area sub-committee when 15+ objections are received.
  • Major applications (10+ dwellings) passed directly to the planning committee.
  • Objections from groups such as Residents Associations will be viewed only as 1 objection.
  • Objections to single dwelling applications will be dealt with solely by council officers, not councillors, irrespective of the number of objections.

In our view these changes effectively dilute the accountability of locally elected representatives.  At a time when elections have been won, or lost, based on commitments to defend the Long Ditton Green Belt from development, we feel it is important that accountability remains with local area planning sub-committees, whose members have been elected based on these promises.

The decision to adopt this change is being made at the Planning Committee on Tuesday 23rd July 7.00pm. It seems quite wrong that the Planning Committee itself will decide on whether to grant itself more power, and reduce the influence of the local area planning sub-committees.

In principle the Long Ditton Residents Association disagrees with this proposed change and strongly disagrees with the way in which it is being implemented.

The Long Ditton Residents Association Committee

July 2019

 

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Save HWLD Green Belt Flyer

SAVE HWLD GREEN BELT FLYER

Green Belt Update Flyer_23 April 2018

The Hinchley Wood and Long Ditton Green Belt Group (known as ‘Save HWLD Green Belt’) have recently created a flyer to update the residents and community about what is happening about Elmbridge Borough Councils Consultation on their Local Plan.

Flyers are being distributed through letterboxes, but you can also see the FULL FLYER in the link below:

SAVE HWLD GREEN BELT FLYER

 

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On Friday 18 August Surrey County Council advertised by way of a press notice in the Surrey Advertiser our parking proposals following parking reviews in:

  • the Moleseys and the Dittons

There will then follow a five week period during which we will accept objections and comments on the proposals. SCC posted around 950 A5 postcards to all properties fronting the proposals..

Hard copies of the plans and our reasons for making the proposed changes will be available for public inspection from Friday at the following locations:

  • Elmbridge Borough Council, Civic Centre, High Street, Esher, KT10 9SD
  • Dittons Library, Mercer Close, Thames Ditton, KT7 0BS

Of course all the relevant documents are also be available onSCC website via the following address:

www.surreycc.gov.uk/parking/elmbridge

The LDRA have objected to the St Mary’s Road proposals as we feel they would not address the parking problems in Effingham Road.

SCC will accept comments and objections using an online form on the website listed above (preferred), or in writing to:

Mr David Curl, Parking Team Manager, Hazel House, Merrow Lane, Guildford, GU4 7BQ

The closing date for comments is Friday 22 September.

Once this has passed, SCC will create a report which looks at all the comments received. The final decision about what to go ahead with is made by the Parking Team Manager in consultation with the chairman and vice-chairman of Surrey County Council’s local committee for Elmbridge and the relevant county councillor for the area concerned. SCC would expect to have the final decisions made before Christmas, and then look to get the new restrictions implemented before the end of this financial year, although the timescale will be dependant on the number and nature of comments received and how long it takes to resolve any objections.

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