Category Archives: Well being

Revitalised Weybridge Library Hub

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Weybridge’s revamped library hub has reopened its doors, and it already feels like the beating heart of our community again. The space is now a brighter, more welcoming home for learning, creativity, connection – and of course, for borrowing and discovering great books.

The redesigned layout offers greater flexibility than before. There are cosy reading corners, quiet study areas for students or peripatetic workers, and improved digital facilities for anyone needing reliable access to technology. We particularly love the bright children’s section and the dedicated area for teenage readers – both feel fresh, engaging, and full of energy. Meeting rooms of different sizes are also available for hire. Importantly, re-using and upgrading the structure already in place has avoided the carbon footprint of demolition and new construction.

Ashley Tilling was involved at the planning stage for submissions to SCC and put forward installing the kitchen in the activity room for use by the community services team and getting rid of the staff parking spaces at the Churchfields approach so that it could become a full public entrance and a sitting out area. Thank you to Weybridge in Bloom for their planting to improve the look and feel of the seating area.

Monday to Friday each week, the Weybridge Community Hub is open in the first-floor activity hall to welcome everyone of all ages. Hot food and drinks are served from 10am to 1:30pm, with snacks and hot drinks available until 2:45pm. It’s a friendly space to relax, meet others, or simply enjoy a cuppa when you’re passing.

Looking ahead, Surrey Libraries’ Super Access system is planned for Weybridge – something already working well in other libraries across the county. This extended-access approach will give residents more freedom to use the library outside staffed hours.

The revamped Library Hub is a real step forward for Weybridge, and we’re excited to see how the community makes it their own in the months ahead.

Makeover of Churchfields play area

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The children’s play area in Churchfields Recreation Ground has had a makeover. You’ll find brand-new play equipment as well as extra picnic tables. The former paddling pool has been transformed into a spacious sand pit, and the surfaces around the equipment have all been renewed. It’s looking great and ready for plenty of fun — and all of this is in addition to the very popular splash pad, which Elmbridge Borough Council opened last May. These improvements make the park an even more welcoming spot for everyone to relax, play, and enjoy time outdoors together.

CIL awards in Weybridge

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Over Half a Million Pounds for the Community 

This year your local councillors were pleased to be able to allocate £559,370 in Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) funding to projects across the Weybridge area.

The levy is paid by developers on new building projects. It ensures that development is matched by investment in local facilities and infrastructure. Local organisations can apply for CIL grants to support their capital projects. Importantly, applicants are expected to contribute funding themselves, ensuring that their money leverages greater value from public resources.

Education was one of the largest beneficiaries this year: Cleves School, Walton Leigh School, Oatlands School, St James Primary and Manby Lodge all received funding for a variety of projects.  

Sports and recreation also received strong backing with new facilities planned for Weybridge Vandals, Weybridge Cricket Club, Oatlands Park Bowling Club and Walton & Hersham Youth Football Club. 

Whiteley Village received support for its refurbished clubhouse while Brooklands Museum secured funding to accommodate Brooklands ATC. Girlguiding Weybridge and NW Surrey Synagogue gained funding to improve accessibility and sustainability.

EBC’s Transformation of Community Services

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Weybridge: Building on working together

In Weybridge, the Community Centre has traditionally provided services mainly for older residents and, for the last year, has also been used by the Library during the refurbishment work of the Library building.

When the Weybridge Library re-opens in September, the centre services for the elderly will transfer into what will be know as The Library Hub, with the council continuing to provide these services. Building on the experience already gained by the SCC Library Services working with the EBC Community Services team, it is expected that new activities will be developed to target more residents of all ages who require support.

After the move, the Weybridge Community Centre will still be available for bookings by different groups with the aim of the voluntary and charity sector eventually taking over as part of a wider programme for all Elmbridge Centres. The Centres will become Community Hubs (probably an over-used term!) run by the community for the community. The council will invest £70,000 in each of these hubs and provide an additional £200,000 in funding to strengthen the voluntary sector. Financial support will also be given during the bidding process and the handover of the centres to ensure a successful launch for the new organisations. The council will hold information and advice events for interested parties in the coming months.

Connected Communities

Currently, community services in Elmbridge reach fewer than 1% of residents but costs around 20% of the council’s annual budget (around £4m), while nearly 12% of residents face serious challenges to living well. The Connected Communities transformation will enable the council to reach more unpaid carers, families facing financial hardship, isolated individuals, and older residents, ensuring that no one is left behind. 

Over the next 18 months, the programme will: 

  • strengthen partnerships with Elmbridge’s outstanding voluntary and charity sector to deliver more joined-up support 
  • transform day centres into welcoming, inclusive Community Hubs that reflect the needs of many more of our residents 
  • introduce Local Area Coordinators to provide tailored preventative support close to home 
  • secure long-term resilience by delivering £1 million in annual savings and reinvesting in frontline services 

A good example of a successful transformation that has already taken place is the Centre in Thames Ditton. This was taken on last year by a local resident who set up a not-for-profit organisation called Vital Village. It is now a busy, vibrant, multi-generational community centre used by many more people:  www.vitalvillage.co.uk

Weybridge Health Centre update

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We have continually reported how disappointingly slow it has been for NHS Property Services to progress with the long-awaited rebuild of the Weybridge Health Centre which burnt down eight years ago. There have been numerous self-inflicted delays – see our last article here from December 2024: http://weybridgelibdems.org.uk/2024/12/health-campus/

There was concern when the first planning application was made public that it included a path for cyclists and pedestrians into Portmore Way past St Charles Borromeo School and into Portmore Park Road. This was revised to reinstate access from Minorca Road. At last the application came before the Council’s Planning Committee on the 15th July 2025 and was approved.

We can only hope that NHS Property Services have the funding to get on with building the new centre as quickly as possible.

Weybridge splash pad opens

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Your local councillors were pleased to attend the opening of the new water-play area at Churchfields recreation ground on Thursday 22 May with the ribbon being cut by the new Elmbridge Mayor, Cllr Steve Bax.

A splash pad was promoted in the Cabinet several years ago by Cllr Ashley Tilling as the portfolio holder for Environmental Services and Climate Change as we reported last year: http://weybridgelibdems.org.uk/2024/11/splash-pad/

Sustainability was a top priority when selecting the design and equipment; it therefore has a filtering and recirculating water system to reduce water consumption as well as solar panels to make it more energy-efficient than most similar facilities. The splash pad is packed with exciting and innovative water features that promise hours of enjoyment for toddlers and young school-aged children.

Opening times

The Weybridge splash pad is open from 24 May to 2 September. Opening hours are 10am to 6pm, Monday to Saturday, and 10am to 5pm on Sundays.

Weybridge Health Campus

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The process of replacing the Weybridge ‘Hospital’ which was burnt down in 2017 is still grinding on. Even though the design team had submitted plans to the Local Planning Authority (EBC) in March 2023, delays meant that it wasn’t until the 4th February this year that the Stakeholder Reference Group (SRG) were told that plans were about to be submitted to EBC ready for building to start in the summer of this year: http://weybridgelibdems.org.uk/2024/02/weybridge-hospital-site/

Astonishingly, just over a month later, on the 20th March, we learned that this timescale was put back yet again: NHS Property Services had decided that the Project Leader and his team, who had been working on the proposals for several years, were to be replaced. A new lead company, Wilmott Dixon, was appointed and they insisted on using their own architect to draw up a new design.

It has now taken a further eight months for the SRG to be informed last week that plans were at last ready for a formal planning application to be made. At least there now seems to be money available and the previous problem of a funding gap seems to have been closed. Let’s hope that after seven years of delays, the replacement project will now proceed to some spades in the ground!

Splash pad for Weybridge

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You may have noticed that work began on the 14th October to install a new splash pad in Churchfields recreation ground to replace the paddling pool. This is set to open in spring 2025. It will includes various interactive features to promote imaginative play.

As a member of the EBC Cabinet with responsibility for Climate Change, several years ago Cllr Ashley Tilling raised with the council’s management board his concerns that the paddling pool did not meet the council’s intentions to make its operations sustainable. Every day the pool took all morning to fill with fresh water which then had to be drained each evening. Over the course of its open period during the summer holidays, this amounted to using several olympic-sized swimming pools of water. The routine also meant employing a contractor all day to conduct these operations. He therefore proposed installing a splash pad that would filter and recirculate the water to vastly reduce consumption. The cabin housing the pumps and filtering equipment will also benefit from solar panels to make it more energy efficient.

Splash pads appeal to a wider age range of children than a paddling pool and they can be operated over a longer period from May to September instead of just the school holidays.

In October 2022, the council consulted with residents to gather their views on future water play facilities in the borough. 96% of participants expressed their support for water play options. The feedback informed a new water play strategy while addressing the issues of environmental sustainability and financial prudence.

What will happen to the paddling pool in Churchfields recreation ground?

The council are exploring new play options in the current paddling pool area. These will cater for various interests and age groups and we should see the plans next spring. 

Weybridge Library

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Extension and major refurbishment

We hope you were able to visit the Library for the recent public ‘drop-in’ event to view the latest plans for its major refurbishment. We were pleased to see that the revised drawings included our proposals for this to become more of a Community Hub by including a  kitchen and servery next to the activity/performance hall on the first floor which should give it greater scope for a wide variety of daytime activities and evening functions; the entrance into the ground floor extension from the car park will be moved to make it more visible and easier to use and the area in front of it will be landscaped to make it more attractive.

Planning consent was granted in December 2023 but some additional work will take place to include the changes described above. It is intended that the contract for the refurbishment work will be awarded in March, services temporarily co-located in the Community Centre in the same month, construction completed in April 2025 with fit out, handover and occupation in May 2025.

Weybridge highways improvements

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Weybridge Transport Strategy: £5 million for Weybridge’s streets

A public consultation took place early last year on plans to improve the streets in Weybridge town centre to make them safer for pedestrians and cyclists and to improve traffic flow at some junctions. The total cost of these improvements comes to £5 million with money coming from SCC and EBC’s Strategic CIL (Community Infrastructure Levy) fund. As a result of the consultations, the proposals to close Elgin Road and Old Wharf Way to traffic were removed.

Due to the M25 junction 10 programme, which should finish by the end of this year, the programme has been divided into two phases. Phase 1 works will be less interfering to traffic and will be co-ordinated with National Highways to limit the effect of any J10 restrictions or closures. Phase 2 works will have a more significant effect on traffic flow and will be scheduled for early next year.  

We understand that Phase 1 works will include: 

  • Pavement and cycle lane improvements on the High Street between Elmgrove Road and Baker Street; 25/04/24, 1 day;
  • Improvements to Monument Hill/Baker Street priority junction; 23/04/24, 2 days;
  • Work on the Bridge Road/Old Wharf Way junction; 12/02/24, 20 days;
  • Installing a Manby Lodge School crossing (scheduled during the August school holidays). 

Phase 2 plans include improvements to the A317 Balfour Road/Church Street mini-roundabout, to the Monument Hill and Monument Green junctions, the Balfour Road/Portmore Park roundabout and the Church Street/Minorca Road junction.