Public Meeting on Horton Chapel and Water Tower

5.19.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Sat 11th Apr 2009

At last the council is taking action on disused buildings in Court ward - Cllr Dave Morgan (R) talking to a local resident about the recent demolition of the Sefton Arms

When Horton Chapel and Horton Water Tower were saved from demolition during the building of the Livingstone Park estate in Epsom, local residents were consulted about its future. That first meeting was held five years ago!

For a variety of reasons, there has been little progress since then and most recently regeneration of both buildings appears to have succumbed to the economic downturn.

The borough council will be holding a Public Meeting on Wednesday 29th April, 7.30 - 9.30pm, at Southfield Park Primary School, to update residents on what's been happening and what the plans are for the future. Also under discussion will be the future of the Water Tower which lies virtually derelict in the centre of the new estate and London & Quadrant Housing, the developers, have been invited to attend the meeting.

Livingstone Park residents are also expected to want answers as to why it has taken so long for Surrey County Council to be able to take on responsibility for roads and services - new estates Manor Park and Clarendon Park are in the same situation. There are also concerns as to the impact that plans to increase the number of school places at Southfield Park Primary School will have on the local community. Surrey County Council representatives will also be invited to the meeting, to comment on "adoption" and education issues.

A statement issued by Councillors David Morgan and David Buxton who represent the local community in the area said "We are well aware that it's not entirely the fault of either the borough or county council on many of these matters, but we were promised a public meeting last year and have been pressing for this for some considerable time. Local residents are fed up with the situation on the Chapel and Tower and want answers from their local representatives. The meeting could not have come soon enough for most people."