Seething Wells

Seething Wells is a small locality of Surbiton close to the border with the Surrey District of Elmbridge.Geography and historySeething Wells is within the 0.23 km² Riverside South Conservation Area which was identified in 2003. Its modern definition is any of the riverside tract of land previously used as a waterworks on the right (here south-east) bank of the Thames facing Grade I-listed Hampton Court Park. A slim portion away from the riverside was largely rebuilt into housing in the early 21st century while keeping a former pumping station building large enough to house steam engines to pump drinking water across much of London. Disused fresh water filter beds, over 2 metres below road level, are loosely under the control of Thames Water via subsidiary Kennett Homes.The site borders lengthways the river and the residential streets in the conservation area. On its short sides it borders a multi-berth marina and a listed pub and passenger ferry.The site's having a parkland and river half-panorama, less than a mile from Surbiton railway station led to a 2011-2014 application to convert the site to: publicly accessible nature reserve a replacement immediate riverside walk open space, A heritage and education centre a flood storage cell, river taxi drop off point, all to be enabled through the provision of a 92 berth leisure marina and lock gate 7 residential launch moorings, 64 homes set on a floating pontoon 300 sq metre restaurant ancillary space, associated landscape and parking. The above was refused by the Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames and (on appeal) by The Planning Inspectorate. The Surbiton Filter Beds, exposed tunnels and half-open arches form a Metropolitan Open Area under successive London Plans to date. A labyrinth of underground tunnels and structures, some of which are statutorily listed, forms a habitat for eight species of bat including some of Britain's rarer varieties subject to special protection.