WATERHOUSE CAFÉ is of value to our community
Many residents of Kingswood will be aware that a planning application has been submitted for the redevelopment of the sites occupied by Waterhouse Café and by the former No 12 Restaurant.
We want to make sure that the relevant parties and authorities who will make a decision about this or other applications for the 11-12 Waterhouse Lane site are fully aware of the value which the local community places on Waterhouse Café as the key, daytime, social gathering point in our village. The café is the daily hub of village social life and Kingswood would be much poorer without it.
The KVCA will coordinate an urgent campaign to try to ensure that this value is understood and that, if possible, the café can be preserved.
We intend to:
- Talk to the new owner about the development plans.
- Talk to the Waterhouse Café proprietor, Maggie Brown.
- Prepare a submission to have Waterhouse Café classified as an Asset of Community
Value (ACV). - Organise a petition in support of the retention of a café on this site.
The work on this is being led by my KVCA colleague James Chatfield, who will be working closely with Paul Cox and Richard Lewis.
I have had initial discussions with the KRA and they intend to do their usual, excellent job of commenting on the planning aspects of the application – scale, style, parking, safety etc. They will also assist with communications.
If you are interested in the future of the site and Waterhouse Café you can see the planning application at https://dmdocs.reigate-banstead.gov.uk/planning/planning-documents?SDescription=23/01425/F where you can also make comments.
We have some key information to gather before we can set out the petition. Please be ready to respond to it when it arrives.
In the meantime, if you want to offer assistance, please respond to kingswoodra1@gmail.com
And please pass on this information to others in the village.
Thank you.
Bob Gunn
Chair, Kingswood Village Community Association (KVCA)
