About
Please scroll down to read more about the committee members and their bios.
The North Kingston Neighbourhood Forum was formally established and ratified by Kingston Council in August 2017. Our Neighbourhood Area covers the whole of Canbury and Tudor wards. All local residents and businesses are automatically members of the Forum and can register their interest by subscribing to the mailing list.
A committee has led the Forum, its main task is to collect the views of our community so as to produce a Neighbourhood Plan for North Kingston which conforms to National, London and Local priorities. This is a long term vision for the area, and if agreed by Referendum, it will become part of the local planning framework and used by Kingston Council to determine planning applications in Canbury and Tudor wards alongside the borough’s Local Plan.
This will be a plan written by the community, for the community and will allow us greater influence over development in our area by giving us a say on where building should take place, what it should look like and what infrastructure should be provided.
The draft London Plan will require Kingston to build 13640 new homes over the next 10 years, and North Kingston will be expected to play its part. We are neither pro or anti development, but we believe it will be more effective to engage with the council to ensure that the impact of new development is not only fully mitigated but that it is accompanied by a full range of amenities and infrastructure for the benefit of both current and future residents.
The Forum committee is non-political, independent and resident-led however, we highly value and welcome the support our local ward councillors provide. We are not linked to the council in any way, but wish to work with them. We have been awarded New Initiative funding from the council to help us produce the plan.
The Forum committee is made up entirely of volunteers – just regular residents like you and me, including community groups and businesses. A list of the current members is on our website as are the minutes of our meetings. We also have a number of work groups, led by committee members who are researching the following themes:
Business and Commerce
Heritage and Design
The Environment
Community Facilities and Services.
Design Codes for Development Sites and areas.
We are exceedingly fortunate that some of our volunteers have expertise in planning and design, but to ensure we successfully navigate through the quagmire of neighbourhood planning in London, we have been awarded funding from the Ministry of Housing, Community and Local Government to recruit the services of a professional neighbourhood planning consultantancy, Oneill Homer.
There are over 2000 neighbourhood planning groups in England, and over 100 in London. We are the first in Kingston, and would encourage other groups elsewhere in the borough to consider preparing their own neighbourhood plan.
Diane Watling
Chair
I moved to Richmond Park Road in 1989 and love living here. I am a retired research Biochemist. I am involved with the North Kingston Forum because I want to play a much stronger role in guiding the future change that is coming to North Kingston in a sensible and sustainable way. This is after all our home.
I am a keen allotmenteer and have been known to do a spot of guerrilla gardening. I help the Toads across Church Rd, Ham every spring and I help monitor the local Eel population every summer in the Hogsmill river. I am a seasoned Polar traveller.
Michael Pearson
Treasurer
I moved to North Kingston in 2001 whilst I was General Manager of Warren House on Kingston Hill. When the neglected and run down Canbury Arms became available in 2005, I felt compelled to take it on, restore it and return it to its place at the heart of the community.
My wife Charlotte and I have run the pub for 12 years and serving our community has been our primary objective. Over the years we have raised thousands of pounds for local schools and charities. We’ve brought members of the community together to form a choir, five-a-side football team, a Dragon Boat squad and a Camera Club. We’ve facilitated exhibitions of local artists, business and community events whilst also sponsoring many local groups and organisations. We acquired a second pub The Wych Elm in 2014 out of concern it would be converted to flats.
We have four children between us and love walking our dog Nelly in Richmond Park, on Ham Lands and on Wimbledon Common.
Marilyn Mason
Environment group
Since retiring from a career in education have been active in a range of local community groups, including Euphonix community choir, Kingston Philosophy Café, CARA, SW London Humanists, Greener Kingston, Transition Town Kingston… and I won a Mayor’s Community Award in 2017. I also stood twice (unsuccessfully) in Tudor ward Council elections.
I am currently rationalising my commitments to reflect my main interest, the environment, and am secretary of Transition Town Kingston and co-chair of Kingston Environment Forum, a Strategic Partner of Kingston Council. I set up and coordinate Canbury Community Garden, a project to transform the neglected gardeners’ yard in Canbury Gardens into a wild-life-friendly and productive community asset. I am interested in the impacts of Kingston’s growth and development on our green spaces, trees, air quality, flood risk and general wellbeing, and am happy contribute my experience and expert contacts to the development of a North Kingston Plan.
I have lived in Lower Ham Road for almost 20 years, and I have cycled in and around Kingston for 40+ years. When I have time I enjoy reading, singing, skiing, and walking; walking the Capital Ring with my husband in 2017 took us to new parts of London and provided some useful insights into how other boroughs manage their green spaces and walking/cycling routes.
Saphina Sharif
Community facilities group lead
I am a committee member of the North Kingston Forum and lead the Communities & Facilities working group. I have lived in North Kingston for over 10 years with my husband and two young daughters. I have spent most of my career working for a global engineering consultancy as a project manager and business development manager. Commissions include five years managing the enabling works project for the London2012 Olympics.
I am passionate about supporting the North Kingston community and using my business skills in strategy, project and change management, to benefit local volunteering initiatives. In addition to my involvement with the North Kingston Forum, I am a committee member of the Friends of Latchmere Rec, and a Governor at Fern Hill primary school.
Trevor Willis
Committee member
I have lived in Kingston for over 40 years and am passionate about this neighbourhood. Since retiring, I am very active with our community in leading the Canbury Gardens Working Group including the use and maintenance of the Bandstand.
I am the Chair of the Canbury Community Trust (Canbury Pavilion .
I am excited to be working on a Youth Programme which has been established with the help of Kingston Council and the local community working on exciting support projects.
I represent the local Canbury Gdns area and CARA on the Senior Policing Panel. Graffiti, litter and anti-social behaviour remain a problem, I lead on a team aiming to resolve with care.
I also actively support Care in the Community, Kingston Voluntary Action with the local Food banks and I am working with Kingston University and the Council on ideas to bring art and sculpture by local artists into the Town Centre area to re-kindle a sense of wellbeing during these tough times. We are actively seeking sponsors.
Asa Backman
Co-Opted Committee Member
Jonathan Rollason
Secretary
I have lived in Lower Kings road for more than 25 years and want to see Kingston evolve whilst retaining its character and being a great place to live. I am very concerned about the environment. I am also Deputy Chair of CARA (the Canbury and Riverside Association).
I run an online reverse auction platform called purchasingauctions but am winding down. I really enjoy my time with my grandchildren. Three of the five live in the borough. I care about their future
Glen Keywood
Communications
I have lived in Richmond Park road since 2002 with my wife Laura and two children, Emily and James. We all love living in North Kingston and are keen to see the area develop and thrive whilst maintaining its beauty.
I was chair of BRaG residents assoc from 2011 to 2015 and am currently on the events planning committee. In my spare time I fly aeroplanes for BA, where I am a full time training Captain. I also love rugby watching and coaching.
I do my best to maintain the NKF website and twitter thread - I'm a bit of a novice so any feedback gratefully accepted.
Howard Sheppard
Heritage & Design group lead
I was born and raised in Kingston and moved back to the borough 30 years ago where we built our own family home. My wife and I have three children and two grandchildren (so far). Before joining the Neighbourhood Forum in 2015, I was on the executive committee of the Kingston Society. I am a Chartered Town Planner and Registered Architect and have worked in the public and private sectors in London, Scotland and North America, spending much of my time in recent years working in London’s East End. Apart from my professional qualifications I have masters degrees in environmental conservation and in art history. I have been semi-retired for several years so before covid closed everything down my wife and I enjoyed world-wide explorations.
Malcolm Porter
Committee member
I am a retired Chartered Building Surveyor and Chartered Environmentalist who has enjoyed living in North Kingston with my family for 36 years.
My professional experience has ranged from conservation of World Heritage sites and ancient monuments, to fault identification within new construction, to refurbishment and repurposing of redundant design. Nowadays I am a volunteer, assisting a disabled persons cycling charity and using my experiences to provide feedback to the Forum in between supporting my family and endeavouring to improve my own health.
In retirement I enjoy the beauty of the outdoors as well as visiting historic buildings and gardens although a brain haemorrhage 7 years ago limits all that I would wish to do.
My intentions within the Forum are to contribute to plan and discussion that will assist to conserve the local character and viability that makes North Kingston such a desirable location for all.
John Parrish
Co-Opted Committee Member