Kingston Independent Residents Group

Save the Springfield Disabled Resource Centre (HFT) in New Malden!

As local councillors for the ward where the Springfield Centre is based, we are deeply concerned about the planned closure of this vital facility in October. The centre has long been a place of care, learning and belonging for over 100 adults with learning disabilities in Kingston. Its closure would represent a devastating loss to our community.

The Springfield Centre, also known as the Hft Resource Centre, offers much more than day activities. It is a space where people build relationships, gain skills, and find meaning. The service users who attend are involved in creative and educational activities including cookery, art, music, drama, IT, and media. They have access to a beautiful and accessible garden and gain valuable experience working in the centre’s canteen. For many, it is one of the few places where they are fully seen, supported, and valued.

We have heard directly from families who are distraught at the sudden news of the closure, many of whom were given no prior warning. One petitioner described how the centre has given her brother a sense of purpose and structure that is hard to replicate elsewhere. She, like so many others, is now left wondering what happens next — and who will pick up the pieces.

We believe this closure cannot go ahead without full and transparent consultation with the people it affects. That is why we are publicly supporting the petition to save the Springfield Centre, which has already gathered hundreds of signatures online. We encourage all residents to sign and share it, to show that this community will not accept the quiet withdrawal of vital support for vulnerable people.

Alongside supporting the petition, we have also submitted a formal request for the Springfield Centre to be listed as an Asset of Community Value. This designation would recognise its importance to the social wellbeing of the local community, and would offer temporary protection from a quick sale or redevelopment. It is a necessary step to give the community time and space to find alternatives.

We are calling on Hft to halt the closure plans immediately, and on Kingston Council to step in, listen to the community, and work with us to find a solution that protects this essential local service.

The people who rely on the Springfield Centre deserve better than to be treated as an afterthought. This is their space. This is their community. We must stand with them.

Save the Springfield Resource Centre (HFT) in New Malden

Read the Petition

To whom it may concern,

We, the undersigned, call on Hft (Home Farm Trust) and Kingston Council to urgently halt the planned closure of the Hft Resource Centre in New Malden, scheduled for October 2025.

The Hft Resource Centre has, for many years, been a vital lifeline for adults with learning disabilities in our community. It offers far more than just a building — it is a safe, inclusive, and stimulating environment where service users can take part in:
Creative activities such as art, drama, music, and cookery
Physical and wellbeing sessions including sport and gardening
Skills development through IT, media, and work experience opportunities
Community building in the welcoming drop-in café and themed events

This centre is not simply a service provider — it is a community hub that promotes independence, social connection, confidence, and dignity for over 100 adults with learning disabilities, as well as offering essential respite and support to their families and carers.

The proposed closure will have devastating consequences for service users, many of whom will lose access to tailored activities, trusted staff, and the friendships they have built here. It will also place increased strain on families and on the local authority’s other services.

We therefore call on Hft and Kingston Council to:
Stop the closure of the Hft Resource Centre in October 2025.
Work together with service users, families, staff, and local representatives to explore all possible alternatives — including alternative funding streams, new management models, or partnerships with local organisations.
Hold a public meeting before any final decision is made, to ensure the voices of those directly affected are heard.

This centre is too important to be lost. Its closure would represent a step backwards for inclusion, independence, and care in our borough. We urge Hft and Kingston Council to commit to finding a solution that keeps this essential service running for years to come.

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A copy of this petition will be sent to Kingston Council and selected Councillors, as well as HFT. You can view our privacy policy at https://kirg.org.uk/privacy-policy/.