Above inflation rent rises in Kingston
#05: A-level results, Kingston’s above inflation rent rises, WhatsApp Kingston, where’s my MP, remembering Hiroshima, pickleball planning permission, parkrun to podium, Frankie Goes to Bollywood, Banksy goes ape and more.
Hi, thank you so much for signing up to Love Kingston and thank you also for sharing it with friends and family as so many readers have. We have been really surprised at the number of people who have signed up since our launch just a few weeks ago. Please feel free to give us your feedback via the comment button below to help us improve the newsletter. For now, enjoy this week’s issue. LK
START WITH A SMILE: Stuff to cheer us up
🌍 With the inscription of five new sites on its World Heritage List, UNESCO has taken a major step forward in the protection of African World Heritage. At its 46th session on 31 July, the World Heritage Committee also removed Niokolo-Koba National Park (Senegal) from the List of World Heritage in Danger. While there are now 108 properties in sub-Saharan Africa on the World Heritage List, UNESCO acknowledged the need to make the List more geographically representative and noted that this year almost 20% of the sites nominated belonged to this region.
LOCAL STORIES: Stuff you need to know
🎓 A-LEVEL RESULTS: The anxious wait is over – A-level results are out and according UCAS the top results across England, Wales and Northern Ireland have risen for the first time since 2021 with almost 28% of all grades marked at A* or A. Around 82% of A-level students have secured their first choice of university, an increase from 79% in 2023. And a record 28,000 students from most disadvantaged background have secured a university place. For anyone missing out on a university of their choice, there are 30,000 places available through clearing. For help and advice, students are urged to speak with their school or college. Further help is also available through UCAS and The Guardian newspaper too offers great advice on its website. Above all, remember this is just the start of a new journey irrespective of the grades!
🏠 KINGSTON’S ABOVE INFLATION RENT RISES: Data published by the Office of National Statistics (ONS) shows an increase of 5.7% in average rents in Kingston for the first six months of 2024 compared with the average for the whole of 2023. Neighbouring boroughs of Richmond and Merton saw an increase of 5.4% and 4.4% respectively for the same period. Clearly, with its outstanding schools, award-winning parks and open green spaces as well as its proximity to central London and access to major airports, living in Kingston comes with a price tag. Today, if you’re looking to rent a one, two, three or four bedroom property, on average, you’ll have to part with £1241, £1588, £1950 or £2635 each month. Then again, if you wanted to rent in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, you may just manage a one-bedder for the same price of a four-bedder here in the equally Royal Borough of Kingston!
🇯🇵 KINGSTON REMEMBERS HIROSHIMA AND NAGASAKI: Local peace campaigners were joined by the Mayor of Kingston Cllr Liz Green last week for a vigil in Kingston to commemorate the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. On 6 and 9 August 1945, the United States of America detonated two atomic bombs over the two Japanese cities killing between 150,000 and 246,000 people, mostly civilians. To date, it remains the only use of nuclear weapons in an armed conflict.
🏊🏽♂️ NEW MADLEN POOL TO CLOSE FOR 3 WEEKS: With the public consultation for the replacement of the old Kingfisher Leisure Centre only just concluding, Kingston's only functioning public swimming pool located within the Malden Centre is to close for 3 weeks. According to Kingston Council, the pool is to undergo planned essential maintenance from 16 September to 7 October 2024. Lacking in any real local options, residents are sign posted to not-so-near Elmbridge Xcel Leisure Complex, Putney Leisure Centre, Tooting Leisure Centre and Hurst Pool in Molesey where their Malden Centre membership will allow them entry.
💬 WHATSAPP KINGSTON: Kingston Council has launched its first WhatsApp channel allowing residents and anyone who works, studies or visits the borough easy access to what’s going on in the borough. Anyone with a smart phone can sign up for updates on news, events and services in their communities. In trialling this service, Kingston Council joins a growing list of public sector organisations including Surrey County Council and London Borough of Hounslow that have deployed WhatsApp to provide information to the public.
🚍 YOU WAIT FOR ONE AND THEN YOU WAIT SOME MORE: The year-long upgrade to the Cromwell Road Bus Station in Kingston is due to be completed this summer. However, five bus routes will stay disrupted even after the building work is complete. According to Transport for London, passengers using the routes 281, 371, K5, N65 and 671 towards Tolworth / North Sheen / Ham / Chessington, will need to wait until 31 October before services are expected to run from the upgraded station. In the meantime, customers will continue to use a nearby bus stop, PW. Let’s hope the ‘state-of-the-art’ upgrade is worth the wait.
🍷 CORNER SHOP WINS BATTLE TO SELL BOOZE: Despite a petition by local residents, as reported in a recent issue of your Love Kingston newsletter, a corner shop in Tolworth has won the battle to sell alcohol. The residents had claimed the area was plagued with anti-social behaviour but in granting the licence, Kingston Council’s licensing committee ruled the issues cited by residents were not linked to the shop.
👩🏽 WOMEN IN BUSINESS FORUM: Kingston Chamber of Commerce has announced the launch of Women in Business Forum, its first major event specifically dedicated to women in business. To be held at DoubleTree by Hilton, Kingston, on 26 September 2024, the event aims to ‘provide an inclusive platform for women to invest in their professional development, share business experiences and unlock the full potential of their careers’. Aimed at SME business owners, leaders, aspiring entrepreneurs, professionals working in industry, business students and recent graduates, the forum is also a great opportunity to network with like-minded professionals.
LOCAL DEMOCRACY: Stuff that affects your neighbourhood
🎾 PICKLEBALL PLANNING PERMISSION: Hot on the heels of the exponential growth of padel comes pickleball. Not keen on pickles you say! Well, it’s not that kind of a pickle. It’s a racquet sport. It’s what you get after an amorous encounter between badminton, padel and tennis. There are over 30,000 people around the UK playing the sport across 700 pickleball venues. There is even a local (well, Wimbledon based) player, Louis Laville who has played his way up to professional ranks, having just taken part in the Skechers English Open tournament, the biggest event outside North America. And a local business is hoping to ride this wave of interest in the not-so-new sport (it was conceived in the 60s in the United States) – Star UK PAS Urban II Propco Ltd, the owner of two warehouses at Fairfield Trade Park has submitted a planning application to turn the site into a major pickleball facility.
👩 WHERE’S MY MP? While Travellers have played cat and mouse with Kingston and Richmond councils, hopping back and forth across town boundaries, a key voice, Sarah Olney, MP for Richmond Park, has been missing during the disruptions. Over the last couple of weeks, residents, shops, parents and the Hawker Centre have endured chaos as the two councils scramble to secure eviction orders to move the Travellers out of their respective boroughs. While Parliament may be in recess, local MP’s absence from a critical local conversation has not gone unnoticed with many residents discussing the subject on Nextdoor, a neighbourhood app. Love Kingston has tried to contact Olney’s constituency office only to be greeted with an answering machine.
COMMUNITY, CULTURE & EVENTS: Stuff to do, experience and enjoy
🏅 PARKRUN TO PODIUM: Along with picking up a total of 65 medals, Team GB provided many inspirational moments at the Paris Olympics. You may have enjoyed Surbiton’s very own Lola Anderson’s gold in the women's quadruple sculls, Keely Hodgkinson’s record breaking win in the 800m, or Alex Yee’s gold won in an explosive last 150 metres of the men’s triathlon. However, as big Parkrun fans, one moment stood out for us – Georgia Bell’s bronze in the 1500m. Having quit a promising track career in 2017, she returned to running with a parkrun on a cold Saturday morning in March 2022 at the home of Parkrun, Bushy Park. And now, she is an Olympic 1500m medallist. Inspiration indeed for us all!
🌼 PETERSHAM HOUSE OPEN GARDEN: A much-loved landmark on the borders of Kingston and Richmond, Petersham House is throwing open its garden to the public to help raise funds for a local charity, the Vineyard Community Centre. As well as the stunning garden, refreshments, including tea, coffee and cake will be on offer and included as part of the ticket price.
🎸 LIVE AID 2024: Enjoy an end to your weekend with live music at the Grey Horse’s Ram Jam Records venue this Sunday 18 August with seven live acts and help raise funds and awareness of the work of a local charity Save the World Club.
🪸 LSE ENVIRONMENT WEEK: London School of Economics is hosting a series of events in September as part of its Environment Week. All events are free and open to the public and will take place in-person and online. For the in-person option no ticket or pre-registration is required. Entry is on a first come, first served basis.
SPORTS DAY: Stuff about enjoying your local teams
⚽ KINGSTONIAN FC: The Ks are sitting pretty at the top of the Isthmian League South Central with two wins from two and a clean sheet. Having kicked off their season at home with a 3-0 victory against Uxbridge, the Ks went on to win 0-2 at Ascot United during the week. This Saturday 17 August, they host Eastbourne United AFC in Emirates FA Cup Preliminary Round. Given their current form, expect nothing less than a third consecutive win!
LONDON CALLING: Stuff to do, experience and enjoy in the big smoke
💃🏽 FRANKIE GOES TO BOLLYWOOD: There’s nothing more spectacular on the silver screen than a Bollywood movie. Combining drama, epic songs and breathtaking dance routines often incorporating half the population of a mid-sized city! Now, that magic and sheer escapism is appearing on stage in the form of a new British musical, Frankie Goes to Bollywood. Get your glitter and dancing shoes on and head up to the Southbank Centre this weekend.
WHAT ELSE? Stuff we couldn’t quite fit anywhere else but still like
🦍 BANKSY GOES APE…AND WOLF, GOAT, ELEPHANT, RHINO…: An artwork appearing on the shutters of London Zoo is the ninth Banksy in as many days. Kicking off on 5 August with a perilously perched goat near Kew Bridge, the enigmatic artist has also given us elephants, monkeys, a wolf, pelicans, a cat, piranhas and a rhinoceros (shown in an intimate position with a car which has since been driven away). Sadly, the billboard with the cat has been removed and the wolf painted on what looks like a satellite dish has been promptly nicked. The rest of the works appear to be still in their original locations. There is a handy map here, if you would like to undertake a self-guided tour of the works.