"The Alberts" Community Association

The area known as "The Alberts" comprises Albert Road, Princes Road, Houblon Road, Houblon's Almshouses, Worple Way, Hyde Road, Audley Road, Beatrice Road, York Road, Connaught Road, Albany Road, Passage and Terrace and Lorne Road; a few minutes walk from the historic town centre of Richmond, within the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames.

There are more than 400 small Victorian terraced and semi-detached houses in these streets, dating predominantly from the period 1870-80, as well as a few small businesses. Originally each street had a community character of its own and it was not until the 1970's, when property in the area began to become available for sale, that this part of Richmond was dubbed by estate agents "the Alberts".

In 1977, in recognition of its well-preserved Victorian character, The Alberts was designated part of the St Matthias Conservation Area. In March 1983, following an initiative by local councillors, the Alberts Residents Association was established, with a small committee of residents.

In March 2004, to better reflect the Association's role for those who live and those who work in The Alberts, it became The Alberts Community Association.

The independent voluntary Association has three aims:

• to assist, and where appropriate represent members, with the everyday problems of the area - such as parking, street lighting and new development.
• to preserve and protect the character of the area.
• to provide a focus for social activity with the aim of involving all sections of the community.

Membership of the Association is free and automatic for all those who live and all those who work in the area. A regular newsletter keeps members informed about events and local news.

The Association can count a number of successes to its name in the last two decades:

• in 1989 the landscaped garden between the White Horse pub and Houblon Road was an Association initiative, with assistance from Richmond Council. This includes a Victorian style lamp (50% paid for by the Association) in memory of the late Antony Insoll, first Treasurer of the Association and a driving force behind the initiative's success.
• in 1991 a comprehensive history of our area compiled by two residents and based on anecdotal material from senior residents was published.
• in 1993 successfully resisting the siting of two unsightly above ground cable TV junction cabinets by United Artists in Princes and Audley Roads.
• the Association held its twenty second Christmas social gathering last December.
• this year's Summer social gathering wil be the sixteenth (these have ranged from informal drinks to street parties and have been attended by three previous mayors).
• this year saw the fourteenth annual "Alberts in Bloom" competiton; an ACA initiative which has encouraged local residents to further success in both the Richmond Borough and London in Bloom competitions.
• active participation in the borough Police and Community Consultative Group, the Citizen's Advice Panel and the former Conservation Areas Advisory Group. Negotiation of Article IV protection under the Town and Country Planning Acts for two of our streets. This as well as tackling anti-social problems such as graffiti and litter.

The Association prides itself on setting its sights high - our current goal is to see the unsightly concrete lamp standards in the area replaced with original Victorian cast iron columns and replica lanterns. A start on this project has been made this year with replacement in some of the cul-de-sacs with the assistance of some funding from the Council's Civic Pride Fund as well as contributions from local people and Fuller's Brewery.