The wildlife pond at Claremont Gardens in Surbiton was reopened last Saturday (1 October) following a restoration project using money collected from new development within the borough.

The Mayor of Kingston, Councillor Yogan Yoganathan, and other members of the community were at Saturday's event to admire the reshaped and relined pond which now includes much longer lasting self-healing liner and an array of water loving plants.

A dipping platform made of recycled plastic has also been installed where children will be able to learn more about the wildlife living and growing in the pond. 

Funding for the project has come from a portion of a charge called the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) which the council collects from developers on qualifying developments. This portion, known as Neighbourhood CIL (or NCIL), is designed to be allocated by councillors of each of the four Neighbourhoods (Kingston & North Kingston, New & Old Malden, Surbiton and South of the Borough) to help deliver projects and priorities in their local areas.

The NCIL funding is designed to support local, community-based infrastructure projects ranging from a few hundred pounds to tens of thousands of pounds, where funds are available.

Elliot Newton, Kingston Council's biodiversity officer, said: "It is wonderful that funding is being put towards supporting and enhancing the ecological value of our parks. By restoring the pond at Claremont Gardens, the park is now able to support a greater abundance of biodiversity and demonstrates how our parks are essential for both local people and wildlife."

Other projects from across the borough that have previously benefited from the funding include bringing the disused pavilions on Kingston Road Recreation Ground back into use and improvements at Latchmere Recreation Ground in Kingston, replacing the boardwalk at Six Acre Meadow in Tolworth, improving the Manor Park children's playground, in New Malden and a new pathway for the park at Woodview, in Chessington.

This week, Kingston Council started to invite local community groups, resident's associations and registered charities to suggest which projects coould be funded by NCIL in the 2022 bidding round.

Projects can be put forward using a form on the council's Let's Talk engagement portal until midnight on 30 November 2022.