Reporting Back - October 2015

Transport for London have released their proposals for bringing Crossrail 2 to Wimbledon Station, which you can view here. You can also view their plans for services stopping at New Malden, Motspur Park and Raynes Park here.

When completed, Crossrail 2 will bring many benefits to Wimbledon. It will relieve pressure on services to Waterloo, reduce journey times into central London, give more local people job opportunities within a 45 minute commute and attract more businesses and jobs to Wimbledon itself.

However, I want to ensure that Crossrail 2 brings as little disruption as possible to Wimbledon during its construction and maximises the potential for redevelopment locally. I believe that TfL’s current route option does not look like the best solution for Wimbledon, and I shall be lobbying for a change to get a route that delivers real regeneration for Wimbledon and minimises disruption.

You can have your say on the proposals here - the consultation runs until 8th January.

There will also be a series of Crossrail 2 public exhibitions in Wimbledon and Raynes Park, details of which are below. I would encourage anybody interested to attend to hear about the plans for Wimbledon and to ask questions.

Friday 13th November, Raynes Park Library, SW20 8BA, 12pm – 8pm
Saturday 14th November, Raynes Park Library, SW20 8BA, 12pm – 4pm
Wednesday 2nd December, Wimbledon Piazza, 12pm – 8pm
Thursday 3rd December, Wimbledon Piazza, 12pm – 8pm

I am thrilled to announce that Raynes Park High Street has made the final of the Great British High Street Competition 2015.

It will now battle it out with the two other finalists in its category and will also be up against the other 20 finalists across all 7 categories to be crowned the overall ‘Winner of Winners’. Winning High Streets will receive a share of an £80,000 cash prize as well as dedicated support and mentoring from industry experts.

The High Streets will be judged by an expert judge, but 50% of the final decision will be down to the votes of the public.

Voting will be open until mid-November, so please make sure you vote for Raynes Park at http://thegreatbritishhighstreet.co.uk/finalist-london - you can vote once per day per email address, and please spread the word!

Over 230 High Streets entered, making getting to the last 20 a fantastic achievement. But Raynes Park deserves to win – it has a fantastic variety of shops and a great atmosphere, so I am delighted it is getting the recognition it deserves. I will continue to work hard to promote Raynes Park High Street and show why it is the best in Britain.

Vibrant High Streets are not only vital to our local economy, but also to our quality of life, as Raynes Park proves.

A key part of my election campaign was a promise to help Wimbledon, Raynes Park, Morden and Motspur Park become an even better place to do business. We have a fantastic range of small businesses locally which provide vibrancy to our local economy and, importantly, jobs for local people.

Small businesses account for almost half of the UK’s job creation, and I know Wimbledon’s unemployment rate would not be as low as 1.1% without them.

I am determined that the Government helps small businesses as much as possible. I believe there is always more we can do nationally and locally to help and that is why I want to hear from you about the experiences of your business, in particular what works and what does not work.

I have set up a short on-line business survey and I would love to hear the views of local businesses. You can fill in the survey at www.surveymonkey.com/r/WimbledonBusiness

I believe it is essential to hear directly from local businesses so I can continue to work hard for you and ensure Wimbledon remains a fantastic place to do business.

I am also planning on holding a Wimbledon-wide business breakfast on Monday 30th November with The Rt Hon Priti Patel MP. If you would like to attend, there is a question in the on-line survey where you can register your interest.

During the General Election a key part of my campaign was to work with residents to develop a Vision for Morden.

I wanted to make Morden an even better place to live and work, but the way to do this was not to impose changes on residents. So instead I listened to and worked with local people, to hear what they wanted for the future of their area. I held a Vision for Morden public meeting, asked for views through my leaflets and talked to many people on the doorstep.

Residents were disappointed the local Council had done nothing for the last five years and had some fantastic ideas to revitalise Morden Town Centre. Residents and I wanted to see a public space in the centre of Morden, better transport connections, a better road layout and to change the current bus station to give the station a friendlier entrance.

Along with your Conservative candidate for the London Assembly, David Dean, I have been lobbying TfL and the Mayor of London for investment in Morden. Following this I am delighted to say that Boris Johnson has bought into the Vision for Morden, with millions of pounds of investment planned. The Mayor wants to improve the quality and quantity of shops, offices, homes and leisure facilities in Morden and create an attractive new public space in its heart.

My thanks also go to everyone who contributed their ideas to the Vision for Morden campaign.

After campaigning by me, residents and local Conservatives, it looks like work is finally being done to install a Zebra Crossing on Martin Way.

This is fantastic news, as Martin Way is a very busy road, for both cars and pedestrians, and has a primary school and recreation ground very close to it. My thanks to everyone who joined us on this campaign and signed our petition.

Many residents have been complaining to me about the state of Wimbledon's streets and the Council's lack of action.

So I'm working with your local Conservative councillors to work out the extent of the problem and what the Labour-run Council should be doing.

You can also help me keep up the pressure on Merton Council by tweeting pictures of problem areas near you, so they can't ignore the issue anymore. You can send your tweets to @Merton_Council using the hashtag ‪#‎MuckyMerton

I will also be working with Merton Conservatives, including your candidate for the London Assembly, David Dean, to hold some more community clean up days. I have held two so far this year and they have been hugely successful.

Attic Theatre Company, Merton’s resident theatre company, has just started a new singing group for over 55s in Wimbledon town centre on Wednesday afternoons. There are no auditions, and members are free to come on a drop-in basis with no need to commit long-term.

The sessions, which are charged at £5 per week, are led by professional choir master Christopher Killerby of the Colliers Wood Chorus.

They meet at St Mark’s Church Hall each Wednesday at 3-4pm.

Prospective members are very welcome to drop in and try a session. To find out more, email [email protected] or call Victoria on 020 8640 6800.

Fireworks
Wimbledon Park – Thursday 5th November
Morden Park – Saturday 7th November

Both are open from 5.15pm, click here for more information and tickets. 

Remembrance Day Events
Nelson Health Centre – Sunday 8th November at 9am
Wimbledon Village War Memorial – Sunday 8th November at 10.30pm

Business Events

Love Wimbledon and Merton Chamber of Commerce Lunch– Tuesday 10th November, Khanage Indian, 108 The Broadway, SW19 1RH at 12.30pm

Stephen Hammond Business Breakfast, kindly sponsored by WSM, with Rt Hon Priti Patel MP – Monday 30th November from 9.00am. Please take my survey to register your interest.

Durnsford Recreation Ground Hedge Pruning
This Saturday and Sunday between 11am and 3pm a group of local residents will be pruning the Fruit Hedge in the Durnsford Recreation Park. (Havana Rd gate behind Wimbledon Park Primary School)

The hedge was planted in 2012 to commemorate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee.  If you can spare an hour or so to help that would be greatly appreciated. There will be some tools available but if you have any loppers, shears etc please bring these with you.

Merton Macmillan Art Exhibition
Friday 6th November – Sunday 15th November at the Norman Plastow Gallery, 26 Lingfield Road, Wimbledon Village, between 10am and 5pm, free entry.

Wimbledon International Music Festival
We are fortunate to have a host of world class musicians performing in Wimbledon between 14th and 29th November. For more information, visit http://www.wimbledonmusicfestival.co.uk/

Community Forums
Raynes Park – Tuesday 1st December, Raynes Park Library, SW20 8BA at 7.15pm
Wimbledon - Wednesday 2nd December, Wimbledon Methodist Church, SW19 1SP at 7.15pm
Morden – Thursday 4th February 2016, in the Council Chamber, Civic Centre, Morden SM4 5DX at 7.15pm