It is with a heavy heart that we bid farewell to Elliot Newton, our esteemed local conservation expert, as he departs from Kingston Council. Elliot has arguably been the most influential figure in shaping the ecology of our borough in recent times. His touch has been evident in numerous projects aimed at enhancing our green spaces and local ecology.

As a local resident, Elliot initially worked with the charity the Environment Trust (now known as Habitats and Heritage). He established the Kingston Biodiversity Network and more recently joined Kingston Council as the Biodiversity Officer. In this role, he was the sole individual at our council specifically tasked with managing the overall ecology of our borough. That’s quite a responsibility within a council whose mantra is “cleaner, greener, and safer.”

Locally, here in Old Malden, Elliot has been invaluable to our work at Friends of Manor Park. He gave us the knowledge around how our group could contribute to the management of our park’s green spaces, including how we can effectively run our volunteer activities. He gave us the confidence to gain real momentum, always being on hand to support as and where needed. He has always been eager to support our guided nature and heritage walks, which many of you have enjoyed. (We will resume these walks this summer.)

Elsewhere in Old Malden he played a key role with the installation of the boardwalk at Six Acre Meadow, and most recently, contributed to the extensive ongoing restoration of Plough Pond.

Across the borough, Elliot has supported many friends groups in their efforts to improve our parks and green spaces. He has enhanced the condition of numerous nature reserves: restored Fishponds Park, revitalized the wildlife pond at Claremont Gardens, and improved the Berrylands Nature Reserve. He reintroduced river voles into the Hogsmill and is spearheading the transformation of Tolworth Court Farm into a thriving rewilded nature reserve. Elliot was also behind the Greenway initiative, focusing on rewilding larger grassy verge areas to support more insect life. These are just a few of the projects he’s been involved with. Additionally, he played a crucial role in planning decisions, ensuring the local ecology was fully considered.

Elliot led the effort to create a Biodiversity Action Plan for Kingston Council, which now awaits the updated Local Plan before it can be fully implemented. The significance of this is profound, as the Local Plan is a document that supports planning decisions, and only with a new Local Plan in place can our new Biodiversity Action Plan become part of these decisions.

We extend our heartfelt thanks to Elliot for everything he has done. He will be greatly missed. Elliot will be moving on to become the Rewilding Director at Citizen Zoo, an organization he founded, which is now thriving and expanding.

In the immediate term, I implore Kingston Council to initiate the recruitment process for his replacement without delay – you’ve known about his departure for some time now. Otherwise, it will be challenging to maintain the momentum of our ‘greener’ focus. We also worry about planning decisions now lacking the input of an ecology expert.