Lease plan agreed for Nonsuch Park
by Sam Blackledge

THE future of one of Surrey’s oldest historical landmarks looks to be secure after a 125-year lease to two councils was agreed.

Nonsuch Park and Mansion House in Ewell will be handed over from Surrey County Council (SCC) to the park’s Joint Management Committee (JMC), made up of representatives from Epsom and Ewell Borough Council and the London Borough of Sutton, ending months of uncertainty surrounding the site.

The JMC will take on full responsibility for the park and will receive a total financial boost of £180,000 towards maintenance over the next three years.

More than 150 residents and campaigners attended a meeting of the county council's executive committee on Tuesday, where a petition containing more than 400 names was presented by Stoneleigh and Auriol Residents Association.

"Real heroes"

Councillor Nick Skellett, leader of SCC, said: “This is a marvellous result.

“In the county of Surrey, jewels such as Nonsuch Park must be looked after and this council is committed to supporting that.”

Fears that the council was planning to sell off the Grade II-listed mansion to create luxury flats and offices were dispelled, to the delight of campaign leaders.

Bill Slaughter, chairman of Stoneleigh and Auriol Residents' Association (SARA), said he was relieved that the end was in sight after a 14-month campaign.

“It is a testament to just how deeply people care about safeguarding the future of Nonsuch Park and the Mansion House - they are the real heroes,” he said.

“There is no doubt that without SARA’s campaign and the support it received from thousands of people, the Mansion House would by now have been sold off by the county council, resulting in public access to the house and its gardens being lost forever.”

Formal approval

Joyce Shaw, from Friends of Nonsuch, a voluntary group dedicated to preserving the Mansion House, said: “We’re very pleased that the question of the lease has been settled.

“It has been a completely unnecessary process and has wasted an awful lot of money.

“We are now anxious to see how the JMC will use the lease, because they have to find ways of making money.”

Formal approval of the plans will now be sought from the two borough councils, and the lease is then expected to be granted within three months.

Once all the details have been settled, the JMC intends to allow public access to the Mansion House, as well as appointing a catering firm to renovate the building for weddings and other functions.

First printed in Surrey Advertiser Online