Morning, Surbiton, and happy Friday. A letter arrived overnight that reframed why the roads section exists — it leads today. Also: a second bus route joins the diversion list, the Hook Rise verdict I promised you, the fountains go off, and a bone-dry weekend to spend it all in. Here's Friday.
“There's nothing on a closed bus stop to tell a Blind person, is there?”
That's from Helen in Berrylands, who wrote in last night. She's on the production team of the Kingston Talking Newspaper for the Blind, which records local news for blind and visually impaired listeners — and they'd like to use Surbiton Daily as a source, especially the bus and transport coverage. Because she's right: a diversion notice on a website is no use to someone standing at a stop that silently isn't served any more.
Helen, it would be an honour — take whatever helps. And for everyone: when you see a neighbour waiting at one of the skipped Berrylands stops this weekend, say something. Not everyone gets the memo.
The state of play, checked live this morning: the K2 stays on diversion until 8pm Monday — last weekend without it, stops between Pembroke Avenue and Howard Road still skipped both ways. And overnight the K3 joined it: emergency works on Hare Lane in Claygate have it diverted in both directions until 8pm Wednesday 5 August, missing the stops between Oaken Lane and Claygate Station — one for anyone who rides it out towards Esher. Every other local route is running normally.
via TfL live bus status, checked this morning
Kingston turns its fountains off
The drought reached the Marketplace yesterday: the council has switched off the Ancient Market's fountains. In its words: “Although the fountain recycles water, it's topped up from the mains — and needs even more regular replenishment in this heat”, adding it's “sorry it can't continue for the time being.” The Environment Agency has London formally in drought, the hosepipe ban rolls on — and the splashiest corner of the borough goes quiet for a while.
reported by Tilly O'Brien · via Kingston Nub News
Planning corner: what your neighbours want to build (and fell)
This week's applications to the council are a very Surbiton batch: a single-storey rear extension at 34 Rose Walk; amendments at 13 Pine Walk that drop a previously approved two-storey side extension; a dead Copper Beech to come down on Southborough Road; a Fig tree to be felled and a Holm Oak lifted at 83 Ewell Road; and a round of trims on Adelaide Road (Holly, Magnolia and Quince, since you asked). The biggest job is next door: extensive tree management across the King's College sports ground on Windsor Avenue — crown work, pollarding and removal of dead and diseased trees. If any of these are on your street, the council's planning portal takes comments.
via the Surrey Comet's weekly planning list
- Hook Rise — the verdict, as promised. Yesterday's “closure from today” hasn't happened, and the paperwork explains why: the entries haven't been touched since spring, while UK Power Networks spent this week rebooking the same job into late October and November. Treat the summer closure as shelved — I'll flag the autumn dates when they firm up.
- Ditton Road and Kingsdowne Road are now both logged as full closures in their own right under the cycle-scheme works, through to 25 January 2027. Yvonne, that confirms what you've been seeing on the ground — it's the whole road, not just the Ewell Road junction.
- Kingston town centre, from Monday: works on Clarence Street and Fife Road, 3–14 August. Factor it in if you drive in to shop.
- The weekend clear-out is real: Tolworth Rise South's A3-side lane closure ends today, Langley Avenue reopens Saturday, and the gas signals on Maple Road, The Mall and Portsmouth Road all come down Sunday. Add the K2 back Monday evening and next week's map looks properly cleaner.
From the national Street Manager feed, checked this morning, entry timestamps and all.
- 10am–2pm — Rose Walk Rewilding Day, on the Hogsmill in Berrylands. Free, bring lunch, expect glorious mud. Cheyanne, welcome — you asked for nature and kids' things near Maple Road, and this is today's answer (with the daily Harry Potter 3–5pm at Surbiton Library as backup).
- 10am — Lifting Spirits wellbeing morning, 96 Ditton Road, free.
- 12–2pm — Melbury Music Quintet, free lunchtime jazz in the Rose Café.
- 4–6pm — free open-use music studio at the Save The World Club, 18 Southsea Road. Bring an instrument or borrow theirs.
- Tonight: alt-rockers ferb at Bacchus Late Bar from 6.30pm, and Manchester metalcore act Asleep At The Helm at The Fighting Cocks, Old London Road, from 7.30pm. Something loud for everyone.
One check in progress: Isy wrote in to say she believes the STWC community fridge runs at 10.30pm Fridays, not the 10.30am I printed from the club's own list. Tariq, if you're reading — confirm which and I'll run the right time tomorrow. Until then, hold off on fridge plans.
- Saturday morning, new for the list: the Tolworth Station community garden runs volunteer sessions Saturdays 10.30am–1pm — planting, harvesting, tidying, drop in free. And at 2pm the Royal Parks' new Lost Waterways archaeology project (three years of digging into the hidden conduits and wells under Richmond, Bushy and Greenwich Parks) opens with a free guided walk in Richmond Park for the Festival of Archaeology.
- Saturday, as trailed: Repair Café 10.30am at Kingston Library · STWC cooking class 11am (£5) then open day 2–5pm · Fairfield litter pick 2–3pm · K-Pop tribute at the Rose 3pm (last few seats) · drag-hosted BIG DIVAS brunch at Bonnie Rogues 2–4pm · live music at The Surbiton Flyer 9pm.
- Sunday: junior parkrun 9am · free men's football at Fairfield Rec 1pm · Canbury bandstand 3–5pm · Corners board game night 5–9pm, £2, 75 Maple Road · Bob Marley's Legend at the Rose 7.30pm. If the Prince of Wales quiz is real (still unconfirmed — anyone?), that too.
- Tue 4, 6.30pm — Men's Walk & Talk, meeting at Surbiton Station's Glenbuck Road entrance. Free, an hour, no agenda — the Proper Blokes Club's walking group for men who'd rather talk side-by-side than face-to-face.
- Mon–Thu, 10am–12 — free athletics camp at the Weir Archer Centre, ages 11–16 — sprints, javelin, proper coaching, all summer. \n
- Mon 3 — Ministry of Science Live! opens at the Rose (to Sun 9) — school-holiday explosions, direct from the West End.
- Diary flags: a deep partial solar eclipse over the UK on the evening of 12 August (timings here nearer the day) · and the first whisper of autumn: Surbiton Festival, Saturday 26 September, Claremont Gardens.
Sunny with a bit more cloud than yesterday, topping out around 25–26°C, cooler night at 16°C. The hosepipe ban is still on — see the fountains above.
The weekend: completely dry. Saturday is the crisp one — sunshine, mid-twenties, a cool night behind it — then it builds through Sunday into the high twenties by Monday. Tuesday might finally break the dry spell with a spot of drizzle. Plan the garden, the market and the mud accordingly.
You wrote in. Besides Helen and Isy above: welcome to Cheyanne near Maple Road — your kids-and-nature answer is in the Today box — and to Charan, whose kind note about the updates landed right as I was assembling them. Thank you both. And Yvonne, glad Wednesday's Ditton Road answer helped you re-plan the route — today's roads box has the fuller picture.
Still open: a Madame Vy verdict (nobody's claimed the first review yet — the 30% discount won't last forever), and confirmation of the Prince of Wales Sunday quiz. First replies get their name in lights. Well, in serif.
That's Friday — and the last weekend of the bus-less Berrylands era. Get muddy this morning, get quizzical Sunday, and I'll see you back here tomorrow.
Mike, Surbiton Daily
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