Local issues

Local topics of importance for RAWW vary over time, with current issues listed below.

• Protecting our Metropolitan Open Land
• Flooding
• Tree loss
• Telecoms masts
• Aircraft noise

Protecting our Metropolitan Open Land

The RAWW area benefits from a large area of Metropolitan Open Land (MOL). Morley Park, the lawn and woodland within the Wimbledon Hill Park/Atkinson Morley hospital development, the scout site, the Oberon playing fields, and the allotments are all designated as MOL. This is the urban equivalent of Green Belt and provides the highest level of protection possible for precious urban green open space. The land was given this protection following a long and hard-fought campaign by RAWW. It is for this reason that we are so concerned by the blatant disregard for this designation in the AELTC application for the Wimbledon Park golf course. Approval would set a very dangerous precedent for MOL in our area, elsewhere in Merton, and beyond.

Flooding

During very heavy rain the centre of Raynes Park, Morley Park and several roads in between have regularly experienced some degree of flooding. It is hoped that recent remedial drainage works in Morley Park will prevent any further flooding from the park onto the roads downhill from it. These works were completed in 2023. The Raynes Park Centre suffers severe flooding and nothing that has been done so far will prevent that happening again. Increasingly intensive development, paving over gardens and building homes with basements is all making the problem worse. Both the Council and Thames Water are well aware of the flooding issues in the Raynes Park centre. We need to make sure they are also aware of all incidents elsewhere in the RAWW area.

If you witness flooding anywhere in West Wimbledon, please

• send information and any photos or videos to RAWW at enquiries@raww.org.uk, and
• report the incident to Thames Water by ringing 0800 3169800 - select option 2 and 2 again.

In addition to ensuring awareness of all flooding incidents RAWW tries to ensure that new developments in our area

• include drainage schemes that will reduce the rate at which surface water runs off the development into the public sewers,
• that the built scheme is then inspected to ensure it is correctly installed, and
• that the scheme is then maintained to ensure that it continues to function correctly.

Experience with the Wimbledon Hill Park drainage scheme, which is in large part located in Morley Park, has taught us that simply ensuring that the approved plans include a scheme to deal with the surface water is not enough. The drainage system scheme for this development, where occupation of the first phase started in 2014, wasn’t working correctly until 2023.
 
 

Tree loss

Tree protection

The strongest protection for a tree comes when the Council places a Tree Protection Order (TPO) on it. With the help of our Members RAWW tries to get this protection for high value individual or groups of trees on private land in our area.

RAWW is however concerned at the failure of the planning system to protect existing trees, including those with TPOs. The system, whereby consent to cut down ‘protected ‘ trees’ is granted based on limited information and checks, needs improvement.  We have lost ‘protected’ mature trees which have been cut down without consent and the only penalty is a requirement to plant a young tree to replace it.

Protection can also be provided by the Council designating wooded areas as nature conservation areas or ‘green corridors’ but sadly that status alone seems to be easily outweighed by the perceived benefits of development.

Wyke Road flats by railway line

The Council approved the application (20/P0945) to build flats on a very long and narrow strip of land on the south side of Wyke Road despite objections from many local residents, the Merton Tree Warden Group and RAWW. If built the development would comprise 2 (part three and part four storey) buildings providing 9 flats on an exceptionally narrow nature conservation area adjacent to the railway lines which is designated as both a Site of Importance for Nature Conservation and a Green Corridor, and requires the loss of 22 trees. This approval demonstrates a total disregard for the nature conservation status of this land. 

Network Rail hold covenants on the land which prevents building within 1.5m of the boundary and gives Network Rail right of access for maintenance. The plans approved by the Council do not comply with the covenants. In February 2021 Network Rail said they would not relax or amend the covenants. To date the applicant has not submitted an amended version of the plans that would comply with the covenants.

The battle to preserve this wooded strip of land is thus ongoing despite the planning approval.

Telecoms masts - spread of 5G masts

Due to the large part of the RAWW area which is designated as a Conservation Area,  it is impossible for telecoms companies to find suitable sites for very tall masts to provide the desired coverage in all parts of the RAWW area. There have recently been two applications for 15m 5G masts and both have been refused because of the negative visual impact on the street scene and Conservation Area.

The first was at the junction of Coombe Lane and Cambridge Road in a location close to where an application for a mast was refused in 2021, and in the same location that an application for an 11m mast was refused in 2017. This proposed mast would have towered above everything around it and had a negative impact on the allotments, which are in a Conservation Area.

The second application for a 15m 5G mast was on the pavement opposite 96 Copse Hill, just above the Atkinson Close bus stop. It was also in a location where an application to site a mast had previously been refused and in the Copse Hill Conservation Area.

We have asked that applicants are encouraged to consider the alternatives to extremely high 5G masts in locations where masts have previously been refused or are in Conservation Areas. We understand there are now options to install less intrusive 5G antennae.