Reporting on the Seething Wells site to the Surbiton Neighbourhood Committee will now occur annually, a reduction from the previous three times a year. This change follows an update to the Place Committee on Wednesday, September 23, 2026, which noted that many recommendations from the All Party Working Group have been completed or exhausted.
Councillor Andrew Wooldridge, Portfolio Holder for Leisure, Economic Development and Planning Policy, stated that while the reporting frequency is changing, the attention given to Seething Wells will not diminish. He emphasized that the site remains important and will continue to be considered annually by both the Surbiton Neighbourhood Committee and the Place Committee.
Completed and Exhausted Recommendations
The reduction in reporting frequency is largely due to the completion or exhaustion of several key recommendations from the All Party Working Group. These include:
- Recommendation (a): Extensive efforts to explore the cost of a nature reserve and its designation as a Local Nature Reserve have been made. However, due to a lack of agreement from landowners, no further action can be taken until circumstances change.
- Recommendation (b): Valuing the land and negotiating for council or trust control has been pursued as far as possible within budget limitations and the landowners' stated position. No further action is currently possible.
- Recommendation (c): Pursuing heritage protection and statutory listing has been met in full, with four listing applications submitted to Historic England, all of which were declined.
- Recommendation (d): Pursuing environmental schemes for habitat restoration is contingent on the owners' willingness to engage, which is considered improbable, thus no further action can be taken at this time.
- Recommendation (e): Ensuring Seething Wells is a key factor in the Riverside South Conservation Area Enhancement Appraisal and Management Plan and the Thames Landscape Strategy is ongoing as part of wider Conservation Area Appraisals and Management Plans.
- Recommendation (g): Proactive dialogue with landowners to enhance management and maintenance remains open. However, recent dialogue suggests the landowners are considering a planning application and appeal due to a perceived lack of immediate and positive engagement from the Council.
Concerns Raised by the Seething Wells Action Group
Despite these developments, a representative from the Seething Wells Action Group (SWAG) expressed strong rejection of the recommendation to cease regular reports to the Surbiton Neighbourhood Committee. Their specific concerns included:
- Incomplete Work: The work concerning the Place Committee recommendations for Seething Wells is
far from complete.
- Outstanding Actions: A Section 215 order, repeatedly requested by residents since the last planning application two years prior to address the dereliction of the historic pump house, remains outstanding. SWAG believes this could have been a reason for the Historic England application's rejection.
- Lack of Transparency and Accessibility: Keeping progress reports within the Surbiton Neighbourhood Committee ensures transparency and accessibility for the people most impacted and invested in the site's future. Removing these reports, they argued, undermines the hard work of the community and councillors.
- Message to the Community: Reducing reports sends a clear, negative message to the community, implying less attention on the site.
- Pace of Change: They emphasized that
a lot can happen in just a month, never mind a year,
suggesting that annual reporting is insufficient to track progress.
Current Status and Future Considerations
The Action Group representative also highlighted ongoing or outstanding issues, including the repeated requests for a Section 215 order for the deteriorating historic pump house. The Historic England application has not yet been shared with the community, despite their expertise. Other concerns regarding the report and urgent next steps have been communicated to committee members and ward councillors.
In the meeting's summary, it was noted that planning enforcement officers are considering whether further action through a Section 215 notice is justified and expedient
regarding the former Pumphouse due to its deteriorating condition.
Revised Reporting Structure
An annual update report will now be submitted first to the Surbiton Neighbourhood Committee for comment before being considered by the Place Committee. The intended purpose of this annual report is to maintain local input and provide an opportunity for comment. Its scope will cover progress against the Working Group's recommendations, provide wider updates of relevance, and ensure local representations are made, recorded, and relayed to the Place Committee.
While the reporting frequency is reduced, the meeting information indicates that attention to Seething Wells will not diminish. The annual report will address relevant areas of the Working Group's recommendations and any other pertinent updates. Dialogue with landowners remains open, though they have indicated a potential planning application and appeal if council engagement is not prompt and positive.
Public reports pack Wednesday 23-Sep-2026 19.30 Place Committee.pdf Agenda frontsheet Wednesday 23-Sep-2026 19.30 Place Committee.pdf