June 2025
Dear Cornwall Gardens Key Holder and/or Resident,
COMMUNITY AND PRIVATE EVENTS
Please find a table here with information about community and private events in and around Cornwall Gardens.
Up and Coming Community Events
The Queen’s Gate Ward Freedom Pass Dining Club, Inaugural High Tea with the Mayor of RBKC at Jakobs Restaurant, Gloucester Road, SW7 4RB on Monday, 7 July 2025 at 4 pm
We are delighted to announce that Cllr Tom Bennett, the Mayor of the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea, will be launching the Queen’s Gate Freedom Pass Dining Club on Monday, 7 July 2025 at 4 pm in Jakobs Restaurant, 20 Gloucester Road, SW7 4RB. If you reside in and aro,und Cornwall Gardens or anywhere else in Queen’s Gate Ward and are over the age of 60, this event is for you. You may also bring with you one adult carer or companion of any age for support. Please ensure you arrive between 3.30 pm and 3.50 pm so that everyone is in place for the arrival of the Mayor, and Principal and Special Guests, to enable him to deliver a short welcome address at 4 pm sharp.
You will be served with High Tea comprising a range of beverages and/or a glass of something deliciously bubbly, plus plenty of sweet and savoury treats provided by Jakobs. There will be an opportunity to socialise and enjoy parlour games along with some musical entertainment. This event, and subsequent similar events at Jakobs, will be free of charge to all attendees meeting the above criteria.We are grateful to Tania Race, proprietor of Jakobs, for coming up with this initiative and her team for making it happen; the advice and support of Queen’s Gate Ward Councillors Mackover, Weeden-Sanz and Lane; the City Living, Local Life team at RBKC, in particular, Jacky Lai; and the Committee of the Cornwall Gardens Residents Association.
Summer Garden Party, Cornwall Gardens, 10 July 2025
We are pleased to welcome back Toby Brown of tlc to host a Summer Garden Party of Pimms, Prosecco, soft drinks picnics and live music in the Central Garden for the evening of Thursday, 10 July 2025 starting at 6.30 pm. Entrance is free of charge to Cornwall Gardens Key Holders and/or Residents. Please see flyer following this link: https://www.tlclondon.com/local-living/events/cornwall-gardens-pimms-and-performances-party/
Reports of Community Events
Open Gardens Weekend, 7 and 8 June 2025
The Open Gardens Weekend saw 266 paying guests, as well as residents, visit the Central Garden of Cornwall Gardens on Saturday, 7 June to enjoy the trees, lawn and plants, with light jazz music performed live by a talented trio from the Royal College of Music, and refreshments provided by Jakobs or by attendees’ own picnics. The forecast had been for rain and wind but this turned out to be mostly wrong apart from the hour just before closing when the heavens opened!
The Taming of the Shrew, Central Garden, Cornwall Gardens, 25 June 2025
This year’s performance from Shakespeare in the Squares of “The Taming of The Shrew” was, judging by most of the feedback, was one of their best ever productions on a perfect evening of warm summer sunshine and calm conditions in front of a full house.
Private Events
If you wish to host a private event involving more than 10 attendees and/or borrow garden picnic equipment, please use the booking form here or get in touch direct with the Secretary below.
Please note that we attach great importance to holders of private events ensuring that the garden which they have occupied is returned to the state in which they found it. This means that all litter must be gathered up and disposed of; and that any toys used are returned to the garden shed.
GARDEN GATES AND LOCKS
All six garden gates and locks have been repaired and serviced over the past three weeks. The catch of the middle gate south side of Central, following the recent re-hang, had been sticking, requiring the key to be inserted again to release the catch. The lock has been attended to by the locksmith and is being monitored.
CHILDREN’S MOBILES, BIKES AND TOYS IN THE GARDENS
Angelica, Cora, Sara and Luca have now removed and scrapped the broken and/or unsafe garden toys and mobiles and have replaced them with new ones, for which we are grateful. These are proving to be popular.
The broken or unsafe privately owned toys and mobiles are pictured below to allow their owners four weeks to reclaim them, failing which they will be scrapped too. They are located under a tarpaulin behind the garden shed in Central.
BUILDING REPRESENTATIVES FORUM MEETING, WEDNESDAY 4 JUNE 2025 AT 7 PM IN F1, 74 CG
The Cornwall Gardens Building Representatives Forum Meeting took place as planned and draft Minutes will be circulated shortly.
In response to escalating insurance premiums, there was support for pooling block insurance on an opted-in basis. In the meantime, representatives were asked to continue to submit their insurance quotations and/or current premiums and total rebuild costs for buildings. The need for terrorism cover was discussed. Premiums for D&O cover remained relatively low, though cover was considered essential. Based on information submitted so far, insurance premiums for a single six or seven storey block were coming out at around the £10k mark but there were some significant outliers above or below this amount.
Many representatives continued to report dissatisfaction with managing agents, with discussion about proposed legislation aimed at improving standards and reducing costs.
The Building Safety Act 2022 continues to cause confusion about whether to register a building or not. Most buildings in Cornwall Gardens who are keeping us informed are telling us that, following the guidance on how to measure height and storey count, they are just below or around 18m high and therefore taking a “wait and see” approach. Ultimately, responsibility for making the decision rests with the building owners and cannot be something about which CGRA can advise or accept responsibility.
Another meeting has been pencilled in for November 2025 – more details to follow.
POLICE REORGANISATION
The Met Police is being reorganised at borough and ward levels. Please see an email below from our Ward Sergeant inviting you to sign up to their newsletter in order to keep you better informed. The link to sign up is https://www.metengage.co.uk/
Please be aware that currently there are car thieves targeting Porsches. We’ve had two stolen from Cornwall Gardens this year.
The next Queen’s Gate Panel meeting with the Police is on 9 July 2025 in Cornwall Gardens to address these and other related issues.
“From: Robin.LambertSinger@met.police.uk
To: awmailbox.sntbsqueensgatewardOLD@met.police.uk
Sent: Friday, June 27th 2025, 17:30
Subject: Stay informed with Met Engage
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You have been emailed as your email address is shown as a representative of a Resident Association on or within the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea. We hope that as such your email address is of great influence to pass on this news to residents.
Best wishes
PS Robin LAMBERT SINGER 201AW
Sergeant | Abingdon and Queen’s Gate SNT
Neighbourhood Policing Team | Kensington & Chelsea
Central West BCU (AW)
Metropolitan Police | London Borough of Kensington & Chelsea, Kensington Police Station, Earls Court Road, London W8 6EQ
Telephone 07826967566 Email Robin.LambertSinger@met.police.uk
Visit our website: https://www.met.police.uk/
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With best wishes,
John Varley
Chairman, Cornwall Gardens Committee & Residents Association
07775 552050
Alan Lester
Secretary, Cornwall Gardens Committee & Residents Association
07816 324335
