Kingston upon Thames Council's Planning Committee has approved plans for a Christmas tree farm at Riverhill Yard, despite concerns raised by residents and a neighbouring councillor regarding traffic, noise, and light pollution.
The decision, made on Wednesday, September 16, 2026, allows for the use of the land for a Christmas tree nursery, including the installation of a modular office, storage containers, and poly tunnels. The application was partly retrospective, with some elements already in place.
Local residents and Councillor Phillip Neill of Epsom and Ewell Borough Council voiced objections, citing fears about increased traffic, noise, and light pollution, particularly during the operational season. Concerns were also raised about the use of large HGVs and potential breaches of existing covenants.
However, the applicant, Pines and Needles, represented by Operations Director David Morrell, argued that the development would bring a derelict site back into use, reducing anti-social behaviour and fly-tipping. They stated that efforts had been made to address traffic and noise concerns, with complaints significantly reducing over the past three seasons. The Christmas tree farm is expected to operate with approximately 200,000 saplings at any one time, each taking four years to mature. Pines & Needles sell a limited number of Christmas trees in pots, and the saplings grown at Riverhill will be retained in pots and sold through their pop-up sites. During the off-season, 1-2 staff members will be employed, increasing to 45 during the in-season period. Importantly, no individual customer access for the sale of goods or pick-ups will be provided; customers will order online and trees will be delivered to them.
Council officers confirmed that the proposed horticultural use aligns with acceptable uses within Metropolitan Open Land (MOL). Conditions were agreed upon to address traffic management, including the use of a banksman during peak periods and the approval of a vehicle routing plan. Further conditions include a detailed Delivery and Servicing Plan, the maintenance of clear visibility splays, and a Construction Logistics Plan to be approved prior to development commencement. Amendments to the junction between Riverhill Gardens and Worcester Park to improve HGV access will be secured through a S278 agreement. Crucially, no tonal audible reversing alarms will be permitted on site, and petrol-powered chainsaws are banned, with electric or battery-powered alternatives required. An acoustic enclosure for chipping/shredding equipment must be installed within three months of permission, with chipping and shredding activities restricted to between 9am and 4pm on weekdays within this enclosure.
Measures to mitigate noise and light pollution have also been implemented. Operating hours are set from Monday to Friday, 7am to 7pm, and Saturday, 8am to 6pm, with Sundays and bank holidays closed. Plant noise will be at least 5dBA lower than background noise levels during the daytime and no higher than 30 dBA at night. The burning of fires is explicitly prohibited. For light pollution, floodlighting is not permitted. An updated lighting scheme, designed to minimise glare and light spillage, will be submitted, incorporating automatic controls and directional LED fittings with reduced tilt angles to ensure internal focusing within operational areas.
The derelict site has previously experienced anti-social behaviour and fly-tipping, issues the applicant believes the Christmas tree farm will deter by bringing the site into active use. The applicant has stated that long periods of vacancy lead to the site being used for antisocial behaviour, travellers and also fly tipping.
However, they also noted that aside from mild fly tipping that is cleared up by the applicant themselves, there has been no real issues with travellers or antisocial behaviour since they are moving to the site.
Deterrence will be further supported by 24-hour CCTV at the site entrance and on-site, and by providing neighbouring residents with the mobile number of the on-site manager for immediate issue resolution.
In addition to operational conditions, legal agreements have been put in place to address resident concerns. A Section 106 legal agreement will secure a financial contribution of £62,966 towards carbon offsetting, reflecting the shortfall against the required on-site carbon reduction. It will also cover the assessment and monitoring of the Travel Plan and any requirements relating to a separate S278 Highways Agreement, as well as provision for Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) and proposed off-set credits. These agreements aim to ensure the development contributes positively to the local environment and infrastructure.
The committee voted to approve the application, acknowledging the benefits of bringing the site back into use while addressing concerns through conditions and legal agreements. Further details on the planning reports can be found in the Public reports pack and the Agenda frontsheet.