A huge issue, which I would be grateful if you could tackle is why healthy trees being cut down in Cannizaro Park. Merton Council have outsourced to a company which seems to be bent on cutting more trees so they can make more money.
Disclaimer: I love Wimbledon and our family chose to live here for a reason. It is a wonderful area with excellent schools, nurseries, parks and a strong sense of community. However, I believe there are several areas where the infrastructure for children and families could be improved.
Road safety is a major concern. As a local resident, it is frustrating that walking around residential areas often feels like an afterthought. Cars are prioritised almost everywhere, while pedestrians are given very little consideration.
What is particularly shocking is that the same issue exists around schools and nurseries. For example, Wimbledon Chase Primary School has around 700 pupils only, yet there is no pedestrian crossing close to the school entrance! Similar concerns exist around nurseries such as Building Blocks and Dicky Birds on Dundonald Road, where parents with very young children often have to cross busy roads while cars rush past and fail to give way.
What I find hardest to understand is how such a lack of attention to children's safety can persist in one of the most prosperous areas of London, in one of the world's most developed countries. Parents should not have to worry about crossing roads near schools and nurseries, nor should children be put at unnecessary risk simply because basic pedestrian infrastructure is missing.
There are surprisingly few playgrounds for such a family-oriented area. Even the council lists only a handful of play areas across Wimbledon, while thousands of children live in the area. The playground in Dundonald Park is often overcrowded, lacks shade in summer, and has seen little meaningful improvement in recent years.
There is also a shortage of indoor play facilities. Apart from Polka Theatre, there are literally no soft play options or family cafés with children's play areas.
For an affluent area with excellent schools and nurseries, Wimbledon offers surprisingly limited infrastructure for children and families. More playgrounds, safer crossings, and better indoor play facilities should be a priority.
I've seen that many of these concerns are regularly raised by local parents on community forums and neighbourhood groups, yet little seems to change year after year.
We definitely need more clothes shops. Wimbledon Quarter needs reviving to include more High Street brands. It used to be a vibrant shopping centre but it has now totally lost its way!
More shops. The revamp of Wimbledon Quarter meant the loss of Card Factory & Lakeland. Bring them back. Outdoors shops; we have lost Blacks, Trespass & Mountain Warehouse. We have lots of green space, but nowhere to buy the clothes to make use of it. The entertainment offerings in Wimbledon Quarter are well and good, but you need shops to attract people to the town centre.
We have few healthy / salad / vegetarian restaurants - lots of meat, seafood, fried food, pizza etc, but where are all the lovely light salady options in Wimbledon? Poor vegetarian choices here!
While the middle of Wimbledon Town Centre is not too bad (with toilets that are easy to access in the Library, station, Wimbledon Quarter and Ely's), More Loos for Merton would like to see Merton Council do more to enable people to be able to find and use a toilet (without having to purchase something from a business) by relaunching the Community Toilet Scheme. This is particularly true in Wimbledon Village and other parts of the borough. For example, people using Wimbledon Common will find it difficult to find a toilet nearby unless they head for the Windmill Cafe or Cannizaro Park.
We need more and better cared for green spaces. Better infrastructure for walking and cycling to improve air quality an more community spaces - repair shops, places to learn skills, cafes etc.
More playground and/or reasonably priced soft play options for families with kids. Also, more pedestrian crossings next to schools and nursery schools.
Stop building office blocks, seeing as how the ones already here are largely empty. And clean up what was formerly Made in Italy, which is now just a fly-tipping site it would seem. And as many others have said, more high street accessories, clothing and homeware shops like there used to be, and some independent restaurants and healthy lunch spots.
Jet washing doesn’t stop the problem of people dropping their chewing gum on the pavements. A campaign to bring awareness of such anti social behaviour might work - it is not the council’s fault!
Wimbledon’s pavements are filthy, sticky and extremely mucky. During the heatwave liquid oozes from bins while pavements are covered with spilled drinks, dog mess that hasn’t been properly cleared and even vomit.
Wimbledon is an international area and deserves much better care. Take care of Wimbledon first before diverting our council tax money to Mitcham. Our pavements should be regularly jet-washed, ideally every fortnight especially during the summer.
A huge issue, which I would be grateful if you could tackle is why healthy trees being cut down in Cannizaro Park. Merton Council have outsourced to a company which seems to be bent on cutting more trees so they can make more money.
Disclaimer: I love Wimbledon and our family chose to live here for a reason. It is a wonderful area with excellent schools, nurseries, parks and a strong sense of community. However, I believe there are several areas where the infrastructure for children and families could be improved.
Road safety is a major concern. As a local resident, it is frustrating that walking around residential areas often feels like an afterthought. Cars are prioritised almost everywhere, while pedestrians are given very little consideration.
What is particularly shocking is that the same issue exists around schools and nurseries. For example, Wimbledon Chase Primary School has around 700 pupils only, yet there is no pedestrian crossing close to the school entrance! Similar concerns exist around nurseries such as Building Blocks and Dicky Birds on Dundonald Road, where parents with very young children often have to cross busy roads while cars rush past and fail to give way.
What I find hardest to understand is how such a lack of attention to children's safety can persist in one of the most prosperous areas of London, in one of the world's most developed countries. Parents should not have to worry about crossing roads near schools and nurseries, nor should children be put at unnecessary risk simply because basic pedestrian infrastructure is missing.
There are surprisingly few playgrounds for such a family-oriented area. Even the council lists only a handful of play areas across Wimbledon, while thousands of children live in the area. The playground in Dundonald Park is often overcrowded, lacks shade in summer, and has seen little meaningful improvement in recent years.
There is also a shortage of indoor play facilities. Apart from Polka Theatre, there are literally no soft play options or family cafés with children's play areas.
For an affluent area with excellent schools and nurseries, Wimbledon offers surprisingly limited infrastructure for children and families. More playgrounds, safer crossings, and better indoor play facilities should be a priority.
I've seen that many of these concerns are regularly raised by local parents on community forums and neighbourhood groups, yet little seems to change year after year.
Make Wimbledon less centred around motorised traffic.
We definitely need more clothes shops. Wimbledon Quarter needs reviving to include more High Street brands. It used to be a vibrant shopping centre but it has now totally lost its way!
Yes I totally agree with you needs a few more clothes shops
More shops. The revamp of Wimbledon Quarter meant the loss of Card Factory & Lakeland. Bring them back. Outdoors shops; we have lost Blacks, Trespass & Mountain Warehouse. We have lots of green space, but nowhere to buy the clothes to make use of it. The entertainment offerings in Wimbledon Quarter are well and good, but you need shops to attract people to the town centre.
We have few healthy / salad / vegetarian restaurants - lots of meat, seafood, fried food, pizza etc, but where are all the lovely light salady options in Wimbledon? Poor vegetarian choices here!
I would welcome independent shops to bring some creativity to the shopping experience
While the middle of Wimbledon Town Centre is not too bad (with toilets that are easy to access in the Library, station, Wimbledon Quarter and Ely's), More Loos for Merton would like to see Merton Council do more to enable people to be able to find and use a toilet (without having to purchase something from a business) by relaunching the Community Toilet Scheme. This is particularly true in Wimbledon Village and other parts of the borough. For example, people using Wimbledon Common will find it difficult to find a toilet nearby unless they head for the Windmill Cafe or Cannizaro Park.
We need more and better cared for green spaces. Better infrastructure for walking and cycling to improve air quality an more community spaces - repair shops, places to learn skills, cafes etc.
More playground and/or reasonably priced soft play options for families with kids. Also, more pedestrian crossings next to schools and nursery schools.
The council tax probably
Definitely need more clothes shops
Stop building office blocks, seeing as how the ones already here are largely empty. And clean up what was formerly Made in Italy, which is now just a fly-tipping site it would seem. And as many others have said, more high street accessories, clothing and homeware shops like there used to be, and some independent restaurants and healthy lunch spots.
Jet washing doesn’t stop the problem of people dropping their chewing gum on the pavements. A campaign to bring awareness of such anti social behaviour might work - it is not the council’s fault!
Wimbledon’s pavements are filthy, sticky and extremely mucky. During the heatwave liquid oozes from bins while pavements are covered with spilled drinks, dog mess that hasn’t been properly cleared and even vomit.
Wimbledon is an international area and deserves much better care. Take care of Wimbledon first before diverting our council tax money to Mitcham. Our pavements should be regularly jet-washed, ideally every fortnight especially during the summer.
Wimbledon deserves better.
It would be great if we had a night at a pub for new music, not just cover bands