Kingston Labour Party
11th March 2022
The Seething Wells Filter Beds, a site of great despair for Surbiton Residents, who have had to watch as private land owners destroy it.
Kingston Council has held its first Seething Wells Working Group. It provided an opportunity for local residents and action groups, including the Seething Wells Action Group, to provide evidence and ideas to councillors and officers about what can be done with the Seething Wells Filter Beds site. This was the administration’s response to a petition signed by 1000’s of residents demanding more action on the site, however the council continues to rule out considering CPO. The meeting was well-attended, with informative and detailed input from many local residents and stakeholders, showing the knowledge and strength of feeling about the situation with the site.
Surbiton Labour Secretary, and Seething Wells Action Group Member, Charlie Deacon, said “While we welcome this first step in engagement, the invites for the meeting unfortunately came out with less than 48 hours’ notice and was held within working hours. Some people had to ask for invites, and some people never received one. This meant that many local residents, local experts and even the owner of the site could not attend. Local campaigners were also denied the chance to chair the community meeting nor were asked to input into the Terms of Reference.”
Kingston and Surbiton Labour supports efforts to bring the site into community ownership, as a community asset to showcase the unique biodiversity and heritage on site. In stark contrast to the destruction of this once green Site of Importance for Nature Conservation on the Liberal Democrats’ watch. With 3 of the beds now drained, the site stripped of vegetation and the locally listed pump house and railings decaying, it’s a shadow of what it once was and what it could be.
Kingston and Surbiton Labour supports efforts of local campaigners to develop a community plan for the site and to keep the site in the council’s focus.
Read some of our past statements on this issue:
