Residents are invited to 'have their say' in a seven week Consultation over the future of the Kneller Hall in Whitton.

The Consultation started on December 13, and will run until January 27, 2020.

Cllr Martin Elengorn, Chair of the Environment and Sustainability Committee, said:"We are obviously disappointed at the Ministry of Defence’s decision to sell this site.

"However, the decision has been made and now it is important to make sure that the site, which is rooted in a strong cultural and military heritage, is developed in a way that respects its history, and benefits the whole local community.

"We have listened to residents’ views regarding the site, and they have helped shape the draft SPD.

"We now want to report back and give the community one final opportunity to have their say, before the SPD moves forward."

The Kneller Hall building - which is owned by the Ministry of Defence (MoD), was created in the late 1840s on the site of the country residence of the Court painter, Sir Godfrey Kneller.

The MoD announced plans to sell the Grade II Listed building back in 2016 and, earlier this year, the Council and Ministry of Defence, held an informal consultation with residents, businesses and local groups, on what their priorities might be for the future of the site.

In addition, Richmond also received £130,000 in funding from the Cabinet Office Government Property Unit and the Local Government Association to create a Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) for the site.

The SPD also builds on the Council’s adopted planning policy for the site to ensure that any future development can as far as possible meet community needs.

Residents made their views clear and all feedback was taken into consideration and fed into the draft SPD.

Moreover, the Council is now inviting residents to 'have their say' on the proposed planning document that it is hoping to adopt.

There will be two drop-in sessions at the Community Room, Whitton Library, 141 Nelson Road, Whitton, TW2 7BB, where it will be possible to view and speak to representatives of the Council about the draft SPD.

The drop-in sessions will be on:

January 9, 2020, from 4 to 7pm

And

January 11, 2020, from 12:30 to 3:30 pm.