Friday, 1 March 2013

OADRA AGM - 11th March 8pm

Greetings
OADRA (Oakhill and District Residents' Association) will be having its AGM on Monday 11th March, 8pm, at St. Matthew's School, Langley Road, followed by a brief talk and social time.

The AGM part is expected to last approx. 45 mins, and then Dr. Phil Moore (of Central Surgery, who also has various other responsibilities for planning health services locally and regionally)
has kindly agreed to come and give a short update about the new Surbiton Health Centre - which opens next week (from 4 March). We are inviting our local police/Safer Neighbourhood Team to come, and we hope that one of them might be able to speak about local issues for a few minutes (tbc). There will some time for questions and answers.
From about 9.15 to 10pm we will have a social time, with refreshments.

You are most welcome to join us for all or part of the evening.

All homes in the local area should receive a flyer about the AGM and social - although we often have difficulty delivering to some blocks of flats.
Please feel free to tell your neighbours.

kind regards
Alan Manchester
for OADRA committee
Email: Oakhilldra@gmail.com
PS. We very much hope that residents in Oakhill will become members of OADRA for 2013. The cost is just £5, and that helps us to print flyers, hire rooms when needed, and generally run the Association and help serve the local community. If you would like to join or re-join, it would help greatly if you could do so at the AGM, and could bring along £5 with you on the night.

Update - Surbiton Health Centre opens 4 March 2013


Please see below a link to the latest update on the Surbiton Health Centre, which will open its doors to patients for the first time on Monday 4th March 2013.


Thursday, 31 January 2013

The Royal Star & Garter Homes - February 2013

What has happened
Christmas has come and gone as has the second wettest year on record. As we look forward to a drier 2013 the roof is nearing completion and the final shape of the building can be seen. Also externally we are preparing to add the final touches to the external cladding with the white render about to start and the timber boarding underway.
Internally the services fit-out and plasterboard wall construction are well under way and painting has started on the ground floor. Sinks, showers and basins are progressing in the en-suite bathrooms and it is possible to get a feel for how the bedrooms will look in their final state.
The basement plant room is progressing well.
What’s nextols
Externally we have started to prepare the entrance works onto the Upper Brighton Road. We appreciate that this is inconvenient and we assure you that we will complete the works as soon as practicably possible. If all goes well this should be before the end of February.
External landscaping has just commenced in and around the tree conservation area as we clear the jungle of brambles and undergrowth. No long lost treasure yet!
Once the entrance off Upper Brighton Road is complete then works will start to the new ramp into the underground car park. This will reintroduce excavators, muck away lorries and concrete wagons to Langley Avenue for a period of about three weeks. Be assured that we will be as diligent as before in keeping the road clean and clear for residents.

The crane has become a local landmark over the last year but we are saying goodbye to it later this month. The dismantlement of the crane will be shortly followed by the removal of the scaffold. This is a key moment in the construction process as it allows the full effect of the building to be seen for the first time and allows us to proceed with the landscape gardening.

Best regards
Rob Siddens


Outline Construction Programme


Autumn and Winter 2012
·     Steel roof superstructure complete
·     Building services start
·     Internal walls and floors
·     Plant installation.
2013
·     Complete roof
·     External rendering
·     Install and fit out plant rooms
·     Internal fitting out
·     Landscaping
·     Front entrance
·     Car park entrance ramp
·     Completion and building handed over to Royal Star & Garter during Summer of 2013.

Site opening times:
Monday to Friday 8am—5.45pm
Occasional Saturday opening (for specific operations)


Contact details:
Rob Siddens
Project Manager
07813 056494

Tuesday, 8 January 2013

Useful info for residents- Christmas Tree Collections


Christmas Tree Collections


Christmas trees will be collected on the same day as your landfill waste between Tuesday 8 January and Friday 18 January 2013. Just leave your tree next to your wheelie bin and we will take it off to be composted, only real trees please.
Alternatively, you can take your tree to be composted at the Villiers Road Household Reuse and Recycling Centre.

Tuesday, 13 November 2012

Royal Star & Garter update


The clocks have gone back and the days have become much shorter as we enter the winter months. We have reached a critical part of the construction now as we try to get the roof watertight so that internal work can commence in earnest. The low level roof is on and practically complete while the high level roof is structurally complete and the timber rafters have just started. The brickwork is making its way up the building and we are preparing to start applying the external render. The building will start to look like the architect’s impression as we approach Christmas.

Important news for those who live in Langley Avenue: we are about to start making the final drain connections which are in Langley Avenue and, predictably, the foul drain is on the opposite side of the road to the site. This would normally mean a road closure for about two weeks while the road is dug up and the drain connection made. To avoid this disruption we are going to approach the challenge slightly differently. The plan is to dig a vertical shaft in the parking bays to the North side of Langley Avenue and then tunnel beneath the road to find the drain and make the connection. This allows us to keep the road and the footpath open during the work with minimal disruption above ground.

The internal works to the building are underway with the walls starting to go up in the ground and first floors. Building Services have started to be installed and the site is generally very busy with up to 70 men on site each day.

Windows to the ground and first floor should complete by the 16 November and the ground floor doors will start to go in before Christmas.

That’s about all there is to tell you this month and in the meantime I look forward to updating you with further progress in December.


Gordon Craig MInstF
Director of Fundraising & Marketing
The Royal Star & Garter Homes
Richmond Hill, Richmond, Surrey TW10 6RR
Tel: 020 8439 8110
Fax: 020 8439 8004
www.starandgarter.org
Registered Charity No. 210119Follow Us: Facebook | Twitter

Thursday, 18 October 2012

THE ROYAL STAR & GARTER HOMES WELCOMES HER ROYAL HIGHNESS PRINCESS ALEXANDRA TO THE ‘TOPPING OUT’ CEREMONY HELD AT THE ROYAL STAR & GARTER HOME - SURBITON

On Thursday 4th October 2012, Her Royal Highness Princess Alexandra was invited to the ‘topping out’ ceremony of the new Royal Star & Garter Home in Surbiton. The Princess was met by Vice Admiral Sir John Dunt, Chairman of Governors and the Mayor of Kingston upon Thames, Cllr Mary Heathcote.

HRH Princess Alexandra is the President of the Charity and was invited to carry out the traditional Saxon ritual of anointing a Yew tree branch attached to the building’s ‘last roof beam’ with wine, oil, corn and salt symbolising wisdom, liberty, prosperity and hospitality. This ceremony is traditionally held when the highest point of a new building has been constructed and therefore represents a significant milestone in the Home’s construction.

The Home will provide specialist nursing care for 37 residents and specialist dementia care for a further 26 residents. The new state-of-the-art home is located in a pleasant residential area, only five miles from the Charity’s current home in Richmond.

The Home is being constructed by leading construction and infrastructure company, Morgan Sindall and is due to be completed in the summer of 2013.

Guests included Mr John Graham, Deputy Director General, Finance, from The Royal British Legion, which has most generously made a £2.05 million gift towards the specialist dementia care facility, and Mr Philip Wiles, Head of Housing and Care Services, from The Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund, which has most generously made a gift of £2 million for the Charity’s building projects, £700,000 of which will go towards the overall construction in Surbiton. The Royal Star & Garter Homes is most grateful for these gifts.

Mike Barter, Chief Executive of The Royal Star & Garter Homes, said: ‘It is exciting to see that only six months after we held the ‘turning of the first turf’ ceremony, the basic structure of this building is nearing completion. When the Home opens to residents next summer we will be able to deliver The Royal Star & Garter Homes special brand of care to our deserving disabled ex-Service men and women in high quality state-of-the-art surroundings.’

Sue Freeth, Director Operations, The Royal British Legion, said: “We’re pleased to be supporting the new Royal Star and Garter Home. The Legion is committed to helping veterans of all ages live independently – and with dignity. The UK’s ageing population means cases of dementia will, unfortunately, only increase, and the need for dementia care with them. The Legion’s Admiral Nurse service offers support to family members of those suffering with dementia and we expect The Royal Star and Garter Homes new dementia facility alongside our existing services to be a valuable resource for Armed Forces families over the coming years.” 

Mr Philip Wiles, Head of Housing and Care Services, from The Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund, said: ‘The Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund has supported The Royal Star & Garter Homes for many years and we are delighted to be able to continue playing a significant part in enabling high quality care for RAF veterans and their spouses.’

David Sershall, Area Director for Morgan Sindall, said: “A topping-out is similar to a ship-naming ceremony, an age-old ritual designed to shield the ship from harm. In our case, the ceremony marks a significant milestone in the construction of this development, which will provide an outstanding care home for those who have proudly served our nation.”


Ciara Hardman
Marketing & Communications
The Royal Star & Garter Homes
Richmond Hill, Richmond, Surrey TW10 6RR
Tel: 020 8439 8118
www.starandgarter.org
Registered Charity No. 210119

Friday, 14 September 2012

Update Royal Star & Garter - September 2012

Site opening times: Monday to Friday 8am—5.45pm Occasional Saturday opening (for specific operations) Progress to the structure throughout the Summer (what there was of it!) has been good. The concrete structure is up to first floor complete and we have commenced the second floor to the higher section of the building.

The steel frame roof has been completed to the lower roof and the carpenters have started to pitch the rafters starting to form the shape of the roof. The flat areas of roof in this area have received the steel deck and plywood ready to receive the waterproof membrane. Internally we have started screeding. This is the layer of flooring which is laid wet but goes hard. It forms a very smooth flat floor onto which the carpets and vinyl can be laid. Internal walls have also started.

What's Next? From the out side the building will continue to grow to its highest level and the steel frame roof will be installed during September /October. Brickwork and windows will start to climb up the building giving the impression of a building rather than a concrete shell. Internally we are anticipating the building services to start during September. This is the key to progressing the internal fit-out. Several miles of cable and pipework are to be installed behind walls and above ceilings throughout the building over the next several months. This all needs to be tested before walls are completed.

The services all need to be connected into the building before October. The electricity is already connected and the gas is being done as I write. The water is due towards the end of October. We apologise for any inconvenience during these installations.

As usual we are grateful for the comments and correspondence we have received in order for us to maintain our best relations possible with our neighbours and the local environment. Best regards Rob Siddens Outline Construction Programme January and February 2012 Spring 2012 Summer and Autumn 2012 Crane erected Concrete frame complete Autumn and Winter 2012 Cladding and external finish work Steel roof superstructure complete Building services start Internal walls and floors Plant installation. 2013 Internal fitting out Landscaping Completion and building handed over to the Charity during Summer of 2013.