Sustrans and Lugadero (on behalf of Merton Council) are engaging with communities living and/or working in Morden to deliver a Meanwhile Public Realm Strategy. Ahead of the co-design workshops we will host in late Spring 2024, we would like to know what Morden means to you. Your responses will help us to create an identity for the Public Realm Strategy, which we will continue developing with you during the co-design workshops. You can participate by filling out this online questionnaire anonymously.

What Does Merton Mean to You? Merton Survey

The prospect of a new and revived Morden has been with us for nearly 20 years. However, despite repeated efforts by previous and current MPWRA councillors, little has been done to make the most of the area before the regeneration gets started. For more than 2 years there has been a budget for enhancements but it has not been spent. Perhaps some real ‘meanwhile use’ improvements might finally start sometime soon – the Council is calling for input from residents on the issue in any of these four interactive workshops/event over the summer:

Pop-up 1

Location: Town Centre locations

Weds 10 July and Thurs 18 July

Workshop 1: What does Morden mean to you?

The Vault
102-110 London Road, Morden

Sat 6 July, 11.00-1.30pm

Workshop 2: Community walkabout

Starting from The Vault
102-110 London Road, Morden

Tues 16 July, 5.30-8.30pm

Workshop 3: Biodiversity and green spaces

The Vault
102-110 London Road, Morden

Wed 24 July, 6.00-8.30pm

Workshop 4: Public spaces and streets

Street festival

Abbotsbury Road, Morden

Sun 22 September, 11am-7pm.

People can sign up to take part by visiting: merton.gov.uk/moremorden and @mordencollaborativedesign | Linktree

Merton’s Planning Applications Committee (PAC) granted planning permission, subject to conditions, for a new hotel with  seven storeys on Crown Lane at the junction with Windermere Avenue.  Despite strong representations from MPWRA and many local residents, in writing beforehand, and verbally at the meeting by your councillors and MPWRA committee members, the application was approved with 9 PAC members in favour and only one against.

We had two main reasons for objection.  First was the obvious effect of the height and mass towering over the two storey houses on Windermere and Grasmere Avenues. The closest house goes from 6 hours of direct sunlight in the garden per day to 2 hours – OK because 2 hours meets regulations !

The officers’ report recommended approval citing the benefits of regeneration,  and  national and  local  policies, set out in Merton’s new Local Plan,  requiring optimum use of sites,

The other main concern was  the  impact on the existing wind tunnel. Notwithstanding lived experience otherwise, the specialist engineer, commissioned by the applicant, advised that computer modelling showed no increased risks. Their analysis is based on industry-wide standards using climate data from Heathrow and London City Airports. “Modelling” can’t take actual gusts into account it seems!

PAC members from the Political parties all voted for approval and there are technical reasons why we can’t appeal against a PAC decision, but the approval is subject to conditions which will require further planning approvals and we will be monitoring them.

Please see poster above for details of our meeting on 7^th May where there will be discussion of the implications of this decision.

Hubert Child, Chair MPWRA

13th April 2024 – Important information about the scale of future development in Morden town centre and a forthcoming planning application for a 7 storey hotel at the junction of Crown Lane and Windermere Avenue can be found at the following two links. Please click on these to find out more as responses are encouraged urgently.

Please note that an incorrect email address for representations is given in the letter. The correct email address is planning.representations@merton.gov.uk 

Development in Morden

Letter to Residents about Crown Lane  Hotel Development.