Latest news with #Shepperton
BBC News
3 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
Shepperton firms fear Terminal House eviction for housing plans
Tenants at a commercial property in Surrey say they fear their new landlord will convert the building to studio at Terminal House in Shepperton, some of which have been in place for 30 years, found out in March that the building had a new owner, who applied for permission to change the use of the were issued in May as, under existing planning rules, changing the use of many commercial buildings to housing does not require planning new owner's planning agent did not respond to a request for comment. People who work at Terminal House said they had received limited contact from the new landlord, leaving them unclear about if they would be allowed to remain at the Brown, a recruitment consultant, said the new owner was "a bit vague" about plans for the site, adding he believed turning the property into flats was the landlord's "end goal".Another person who works at Terminal House, who wanted to remain anonymous, said they had seen "people doing surveys" on the building and furnishings being business owner Nicola Males said she had decided to pre-emptively end her lease, adding she "couldn't bear the uncertainty".She said she could not risk being given three months' notice to leave Terminal House as she had to be "set up ready to go" ahead of the Christmas rush, adding it was "very difficult" to find similar commercial properties in Shepperton. Mr Brown said the new landlord had also "cancelled a bunch of subscriptions" - such as for bin collections and drinking water fountains - since taking Males added that the lack of bin collections had led to "rubbish strewn all over the road" for a time, but that collections had worker at Terminal House said that the communication had been "shocking" regarding the move and they only learned the building had been sold after the transaction was said the property was now managed by P4i, a London-based company that advertised its involvement in commercial site conversions across England.P4i did not respond to a request for comment from the addition to the successful bid to change the use of the building, the landlord has also submitted applications for planning consent to extend both blocks of Terminal House, which are located either side of a railway Borough Council is yet to determine the outcomes of these applications.
Daily Mail
25-05-2025
- General
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE We lived happily in our house for years... but a horrendous decision from our neighbour has cost us £50k - we've been forced out
A couple have been left distraught after their neighbours house started to be turned into an HMO - which left people defecating in an alleyway near their home and knocked £50k off their house. Roger Brown, 67, and his wife Gail, 64, have been plagued with weeks of builders leaving them feeling unsafe and at their wits' end. The couple, from Shepperton, Sunbury-on-Thames, have lived in their three-bedroom terraced house in a residential street for 45 years. Now they fear the neighbourhood of local families could be torn apart by outsiders moving into a house of multiple occupancy (HMO). As contractors work to transform their next door house, the couple are constantly fighting against disappearing tools, ruined views and even people defecating in the alleyway near their family home. Roger told MailOnline: 'They stole ladders from my garden to use. They have been going down in the alleyway and doing their business there, both ways. They are sh**ting out here.' He said he and his wife's lives have been turned upside down and hit out at the council for failing to protect them as they confessed they can barely work they're so worried. But there appears to be no easy way out for the couple, who claim they are being forced to sell up their much-loved home, losing a small fortune in the process. Roger, a health and safety trainer, added: 'Work started [but] we had been given no notification. It's being turned into a six-bedroom HMO. 'They have been working there [for] three weeks. They have extended the downstairs now it blocks out the light. And while the change of view is upsetting the 67-year-old, Roger revealed a more horrific reality that is upsetting both himself and his wife. Roger slammed the local authorities and said they have been unsupportive. He said: 'The council has been next to useless. We are very stressed over all this. We don't know who will be living here. It's horrendous.' Because of the disruption, Roger says he and Gail are considering moving but are concerned about the impact on their house price - another worry that is too much to take for the hexagenarians. The health and safety worker said: 'We are going to sell. We are being forced out. An estate agent said we will lose £50,000. 'My wife won't feel safe because we don't know who we will be living next to. 'We were in shock. We felt sick. My work is suffering because of the stress I'm going through. 'We have been totally let down. It's wrong. They cut through an expensive fence. All those things add up. It's too much to bear and we don't need it in our time of life.' A Spelthorne Borough Council spokeswoman said: 'The work is being overseen by an Approved Inspector not Spelthorne Borough Council's building control team. Unfortunately, this means the Council cannot intervene from a building control point of view. 'A planning enforcement officer visited the premises but based on the evidence his view was that it would fall within permitted development rights. 'The officer therefore advised that no action could be taken from a planning perspective and that this would also apply to a change of use to an HMO (planning permission is not required). 'The Council was later advised by an Approved Inspector of works that the enlarged property will be used for a six-unit HMO. 'This does not need planning permission but will need an HMO licence. The Council's Environmental Health team has sent out an application pack, but no application has been received yet. 'Unfortunately, the legislation does not allow for public consultation on HMO licence applications or for neighbours to comment or object. 'In January 2025, the Council's planning committee approved an Article 4 direction to withdraw permitted development rights for change of use to HMOs across all wards in the borough. 'However, this will not come into effect until at least the beginning of next year. Going forward this means planning permission will be needed for HMOs but will not prevent applications being submitted or being granted or allowed on appeal. 'The issue with regards the lack of toilet facilities for the workers has been addressed.'
The Guardian
25-05-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
‘New dawn': first train service renationalised under Starmer begins
Ministers have hailed a 'new dawn' for Britain's railways as the first train services renationalised under the Labour government started operating on Sunday. The 6.14 from London Waterloo to Shepperton was due to be the first rebranded train out on Sunday, its carriages adorned with a union jack and the logo 'Great British Railways: coming soon' as part of a publicly owned South Western Railway (SWR). However, the very first renationalised SWR service was in fact set to involve a rail replacement bus: the 5.36 from Woking to Waterloo having to terminate at Surbiton because of bank holiday weekend engineering works. The transport secretary, Heidi Alexander, said there would be a 'cultural reset' for the railway, with further legislation expected this year to overhaul the industry and integrate track and train operations as Great British Railways (GBR), rather than under Network Rail and separate train firms. SWR was the first planned nationalisation under the Passenger Railway Services (Public Ownership) Act 2024, which was passed soon after the general election. Speaking before the departure of the first branded train, Alexander said: 'I really do feel that this is a new dawn for our railways. We're going to wave goodbye to 30 years' worth of inefficiency, waste, passenger frustration, and we're going to step really confidently towards a new future for the railways.' Alexander added: 'Of course, change isn't going to happen overnight. We've always been clear that public ownership isn't a silver bullet, but we are really firing this starting gun in that race for a truly 21st-century railway, and that does mean refocusing away from private profit and towards the public good.' SWR will be run by the government-owned train operator, DfTO, which already runs a number of services – such as LNER, Northern, TPE and Southeastern – that were taken back into public control because of financial or contractual failures. The remaining nine privately run rail franchises will be renationalised by the end of 2027 as contracts expire. The government claims that the changes will save £150m a year in fees alone. Alexander said bigger changes would become evident with the formation of GBR, the new body overseeing all aspects of the railway, which is now expected to be established in early 2027. Once running, passengers would start to notice the difference, she said. 'Not just fewer cancellations and simpler tickets, but a real, fundamental cultural reset with one railway team working as one team. 'Regional services earning the right to wear the Great British Railways badge, and that will be a new organisation that will be completely dedicated to public service.' FirstGroup, the private firm that had run SWR since 2017 and stands to lose more lucrative franchises, said it had made 'hundreds of millions of pounds of improvements' to trains and customer service during its tenure. Sign up to Business Today Get set for the working day – we'll point you to all the business news and analysis you need every morning after newsletter promotion Steve Montgomery, the managing director of First Rail, said: 'Right up until the final weeks we have continued to innovate, with a new fast wifi service being rolled out. We are supporting DfTO to ensure a smooth transition.' The Conservatives said running rail services through private companies had kept costs down. The shadow transport secretary, Gareth Bacon, said: 'Labour have talked up the benefits of renationalisation for years and they will now have to deliver on their promises of lower ticket prices, an end to all disruption and strikes and better onboard services.' Unions said the majority of people supported renationalisation, and urged the government to go further. Mick Whelan, the general secretary of Aslef, the train drivers' union, said: 'Everyone in the rail industry knows that privatisation – which even that arch-privateer Margaret Thatcher described as a privatisation too far – didn't, and doesn't, work.' Eddie Dempsey, the RMT general secretary, said public ownership was 'a major step forward' but added: 'The job is incomplete when our contracted-out members remain outsourced and not reaping the benefits of nationalisation.' 'If ministers are serious about delivering a fair and efficient railway, they must bring all rail workers, including cleaners, security and gateline staff, back in-house without delay,' he added.
