History
The Founding of the Association continued
Thi
s time it was the Council who were outraged. After the third time it happened, there were threats of legal action.
The residents invited the Council officers responsible for the decision to a Sunday lunchtime meeting over wine. A compromise was reached. The old swan-necks had to go - they were deemed unsafe, as was tungsten lighting, but the Council accepted that the imposed designs were not appropriate to the character of the area. Victorian-style lamp lanterns were agreed, at a cost of some £50 per household.
Tom Springer then fought off a threat to develop the Old School (now The Study prep) into 'executive housing'. He was by now keen to get the support of other residents in his battles to preserve the area - not necessarily by the sort of direct action used against the lamppost imposition but by more regularised methods, like organised lobbying and publicity.
By 1989 he had formed a group that included residents with relevant professional expertise. Later, widening its constituency to include all West Side and Chester and Sycamore Roads, this became the Wimbledon Common West Residents Association. In 1994 Tom Springer stood down as Chairman and Paul Bonner took over.