Welcome

Access Self Storage are currently working on new proposals to develop the vacant and hoarded brownfield site at 579-589 Kingston Road, London SW20 8SD.

This website has been launched to help local residents and business find out more information about the draft proposals and also provide an opportunity to give feedback prior to the finalisation of a planning application to the London Borough of Merton.

We are keen to hear everybody's views, and as you can see elsewhere on this website, we are organising a drop in event as well as a live presentation (webinar). We will also be attending the Raynes Park Forum on 7th December 2022 to give a further opportunity for local people to be involved.

Current status

The site is located between the Kingston Road and the elevated main railway line which passes through Raynes Park station, an approximate five minute walk away. It is neighboured by relatively new residential development at 591-593 Kingston Road and the recently completed Dundonald Church and associated apartments above. On the opposite side of Kingston Road are largely shops with flats above.

Access took steps some time ago to secure the site through the erection of hoarding, although unfortunately on occasion they have been forced to take legal action to remove trespassers.

Over recent years, a number of planning applications have been submitted and approved at the site. These have included proposals in 2010 for a self-storage facility and offices comprising 11,724 sq. m on 579-585 Kingston Road as well as a more recent residential development comprising 124 apartments and 930 sq. m of commercial space (approved at appeal in November 2021). Unlike the earlier self-storage proposal, the residential-led scheme included 587-589 Kingston Road (acquired by Access in April 2015).

Although there is a valid planning permission at the site for the residential-led development, Access has concluded that market conditions render this commercially unattractive. The company is confident about the deliverability of one of its self-storage facilities and now wish to pursue this and bring certainty to the long-awaited development of the site.

Proposals for local consultation

You can find out more by downloading the architect’s initial presentation document which shows the early stage thinking. These proposals are draft only and subject to change. We will take steps to update this website so that any changes made during the pre-application stage can be viewed and understood.

The proposals seek to provide brand new self-storage space of 15,686 sq. m along with some 3,386 sq. m of flexible office space.

Access and parking

The current thinking is to provide two access points to the site. At the western end of the site, access will be provided to a car park which will serve two proposed trade counters. Whilst there is no confirmed end users at present, the trade counters will be outlets where registered trades people can purchase goods at trade (wholesale) prices.

The other access, at the eastern end of the site will serve the self-storage facility.

The western car park will have space for two vans and 11 cars along with stands for 42 bikes, whilst the eastern car park/service yard will have 20 Parking spaces (including 4 electric charge points, 2 blue badge bays and 6 larger spaces to accommodate a range of vehicle types). There is also potential for 2 additional larger vehicle spaces at the north of the yard. 46 cycle spaces will also be provided.

Design

The proposed building will be ground plus five storeys, with the highest element in the middle of site, set back from Kingston Road and the railway line. The stepped down ground plus three storeys along the frontage of Kingston Road will be slightly lower than the permitted height for the approved residential development at the site.

The comparative heights between the approved and proposed development at the site can be seen by downloading the architect’s initial presentation.

The proposed building line along Kingston Road will be drawn back further than the current hoarding, providing a much more generous pedestrian route. A lay-by will also be created and either side of this, new soft landscaping will be introduced to bring a much ‘greener’ feel to this part of Kingston Road.

In terms of the street level frontages, the proposal seeks to create a colonnade, where the first floor slightly overhangs the pavement and offers shelter to passers-by.

Active frontages to Kingston Road will be created by the reception for the self-storage facility along with offices and ‘maker space’, small units that could be occupied by small businesses involved in fabrication.

The offices will be located on the four levels of the proposed Kingston Road frontage building and the current design of this is based on a ‘saw tooth’ angled roof to recreate the feel of the factory that used to exist on the neighbouring site.

How to have your say

With all their development proposals, Access places great importance on engaging with the local community and listening to and acting on feedback prior to the finalisation of any planning application.

DMWR, the architects working on the design of the proposals have produced an information presentation which you can view by clicking the link in the download section. This gives more details of the design and proposed materials and how the proposals will integrate with the surrounding properties and streetscape.

There’s four ways you can give your views on the draft proposals. Nothing is agreed at this point in time. We would very much welcome your comments and we would be pleased to answer any questions you may have.

  1. Visit us at our drop-in event – members of the development team will be present at the Raynes Park Library between 2.30pm and 6.30pm on Wednesday 7th December 2022. Plans and information will be available;
  2. Attend the Raynes Park Forum – on the same day in the evening after the drop-in event on 7th December, members of the development team will be present at the Forum which starts at 7.15pm and will also be held at the Raynes Park Library;
  3. Join our webinar – if you can’t make the drop-in event or the Forum, you can join a live presentation (webinar) by the architects which will take place at 6.30pm on Thursday 8th November 2022 via Zoom. We’ll be showing the draft plans, answering questions and gathering feedback. It’s very easy to pre-register for this, just click on ‘Join our Webinar’ and fill in your details. Everybody is welcome;
  4. Give your feedback through this website - please use the online form below to give us any comments or ask any questions on any aspects of the proposals. We’ll pass on all comments to the design team and respond to any questions as soon as we can.

If you would like to speak with us direct about the proposals, we have also provided a help line telephone number (free to call).

Share your views

We’re keen to hear from as many people as possible about the plans for 579-589 Kingston Road, Raynes Park. Please use the response form below to give us your thoughts or ask us any questions. We’ll be considering every piece of feedback we receive and giving our responses.

Please ensure both email fields match

Join our webinar

Click here on the button below to register for our webinar on Thursday 8 December 2022 at 6.30pm

Register

Downloads

Click here to download documents and information:

Architect’s initial presentation

Contact us

contact@kingstonroad.info

Lee Jameson, Polity on: 0800 246 5890 (free to call)