PLANNING
Almost all of the houses on the St Margaret’s Estate lie within a Conservation Area and some have additional protection, such as Restricting Permitted Development Article 4 Directions. This means that changes you might consider minor, such as replacing a front door or windows, may require planning consent. We therefore strongly recommend that you discuss your plans with a member of the Committee or seek advice from the Council, before undertaking any alterations.
TREE PRESERVATION ORDERS
All trees within this area are covered by Tree Preservation Orders, both in front and back gardens. It is therefore always best to check with the Council before removing a tree or even undertaking pruning.
SECURITY
Historically, crime rates here have been among the lowest in the country. Recently there have been a small number of household break-ins, so we would advise fitting a burglar alarm. You should also take precautions to ensure sheds, garages, vehicles and bicycles are secure.
TRUSTED TRADESMEN
SMERA maintains a list of trusted tradesmen, nominated by our members (although this does not imply any endorsement by SMERA). If you are seeking or provide a local service, such as dog walking or baby-sitting, we can publicise this in our newsletter.
WASTE AND RECYCLING
The Council collect waste and recycling on Wednesdays (Thursday in Bank Holiday weeks). For a fee, the Council will provide a green wheelie bin for garden waste.
SMERA MEMBERSHIP
We publish an e-newsletter periodically, plus you can follow us on twitter @SMERA1854. We hold occasional social events plus we are always looking for new committee members if you fancy getting actively involved! Annual membership of the Residents Association is £5.00/household.
You can follow SMERA on Twitter @SMERA1854
RICHMOND COUNCIL
By opening a Council on-line account, you can benefit from:
- Weekly emails with useful council information and news
- Manage your parking permits
- Manage your garden recycling bin collections
- View your council tax
- Manage your Richmond Card
- Get alerts of Planning Applications close to your property
Sign up at:
LOCAL NEWS
SMERA publishes a newsletter, intermittently. For more regular news covering all of St Margaret’s, there is the St Margaret’s Community Newsletter. Sign up at https://stmargarets.london/
LOCAL TRAFFIC
Events at Twickenham Stadium sometimes cause traffic delays and disruption, including road closures. You can get advance notification, by signing up for TFL transport updates: https://tfl.gov.uk/forms/12424.aspx