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The Dispatch
Your monthly news from Embassy Gardens |
Issue 02 · November 2026 |
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November at Embassy Gardens
Plant now, bloom in spring.
Hello neighbours,
Welcome to the November edition of The Dispatch. The nights are drawing in, but there’s plenty going on: the return of the table tennis tournament, our very first community gardening session on the Sky Pool deck, a festive tree lighting, and a big Right to Manage door-knock day. And with Christmas coming, please help us say a big thank you to the EG team through the Staff Appreciation Fund before 10 December.
Thank you to everyone who came to the Halloween House Quiz, and to everyone who’s joined EGRA this month. There’s also a reminder about Tuesday’s water outage in Phase 2, and our new estate assistant, Ask Egi, is now live.
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Reminder · Phase 2
Water off on Tuesday 3 November
Planned maintenance will interrupt the water supply to Phase 2 of Embassy Gardens from 8am to about 5pm on Tuesday 3 November. The rest of Embassy Gardens isn’t expected to be affected. There may also be restricted access while the work is under way.
💧 Fill kettles, jugs or containers in advance with any water you’ll need. Times are approximate, and the supply may come back on for short periods during the work.
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01 · Coming up from EGRA
What’s on at Embassy Gardens
Sign up on the website. Have your building and apartment number to hand.
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07
NOV
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RTM door-knock day
Sat 7 November · all four buildings · a couple of hours, in pairs
Help us knock on every door in one day. You’ll get a list of doors, a simple answer sheet and a way to register neighbours there and then.
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12
NOV
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Embassy Gardens Table Tennis Tournament
Thu 12 November · 6:00pm · Ambassador Studio · Free
It’s back! The one some of you have been training for, and the one you all dream of winning. If you think you’re good enough to step up when it matters, bring your A-game.
🏓 No sign-up: just turn up on the night
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14
NOV
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Community Gardening Session
Sat 14 November · 1:00pm · Sky Pool Deck · Free
Help plant eight varieties of spring bulbs in the Sky Pool planters, with coffee, tea and pastries. No experience needed and families are welcome.
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16
NOV
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Tree Lighting Ceremony
Mon 16 November · 5:30–7:30pm · The Nine Elms Bar & Lounge, Park Hyatt Nine Elms · Free
Fully booked! We’re looking forward to seeing many of you there. If you can no longer come, please let us know at info@egra.org.uk, as we have a waiting list.
🎄 Fully booked · waiting list open
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See all EGRA events →
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02 · Christmas 2026 · EG Staff Appreciation Fund
Say thank you to the EG team this Christmas
Help us reach our £15,000 goal and give every member of the Embassy Gardens team a well-deserved Christmas thank-you, shared equally, from cleaners and gardeners to concierge and security.
From the warm welcome at the front desk to late-night security patrols, cleaning, maintenance, gardening, yard and valet services, around 90 members of staff work across Embassy Gardens. You may rarely see many of them, but their contribution is felt every day. We created the fund so that everyone who works across the estate is recognised equally, not just front-line staff.
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£15,000 this year's target |
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~90 staff, an equal share each |
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Most contributions are between £50 and £100, though every amount helps. With around 1,400 apartments, if just a fraction of us give, we'll comfortably get there.
How it works
| 1 | Fill in the short form on the Staff Fund page. |
| 2 | Make a bank transfer using the details shown, with the reference STAFF [your apartment]/[building]. |
| 3 | We pool everything and share it equally among all staff, then add contributor names to a community thank-you card. Prefer to stay anonymous? Just choose that on the form. |
Just over a month to go: the deadline is 10 December 2026, so we can finalise the fund and hand out the gifts before the festive break.
100% of the money raised goes to EG staff. No money goes to EGRA or EGRA committee members.
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03 · Get planting
Our first community gardening session
🌷 Come along on Saturday 14 November at 1pm and help us plant 3,750 bulbs of eight different spring-flowering varieties in the Sky Pool planters. They come back every year, giving two waves of colour from March to May: miniature daffodils and blue chionodoxa first, then tulips in yellow, orange, pink and deep purple.
No gardening experience? No problem. Whether you’re green-fingered or have never planted a bulb in your life, everyone is welcome. It’s a lovely chance to get outdoors, meet your neighbours and leave your own little mark on Embassy Gardens.
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☕ Coffee & pastries
There’ll be a well-earned break with coffee, tea and pastries, and a chance to chat with your fellow gardeners.
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👪 Little gardeners welcome
Families are very welcome. The planters are raised, so children must stay with a parent throughout. Book up to six places on one sign-up.
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It’s free, but spaces may be limited, so please sign up. This is the first outing for our new volunteer gardening group: if you’d like to help keep EG green beyond November, let us know when you book.
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04 · Start your own social group
Gardening not for you?
We’d love to see more social groups at Embassy Gardens, run by residents for residents: a running club, book club, board games, a supper club, film nights, a parents’ coffee morning, or something completely different.
If you’d like to set one up, get in touch. Groups need to pay for themselves, but EGRA can help get the word out with a mention in The Dispatch, a listing on egra.org.uk and a post in the residents’ WhatsApp community.
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05 · Right to Manage
Our buildings, our money, our decisions
Leaseholders pay the whole service charge but have no vote on how it’s set or spent, and the estate budget is up 67.5% since 2021. Right to Manage (RTM) is a legal right that lets a building’s leaseholders take over its management through a not-for-profit company they own. There’s no fault to prove and the freeholder’s consent isn’t needed.
Your lease, ownership, mortgage and tenancy don’t change, and nor does access to the Sky Pool, gyms and gardens. What changes is who the managing agent answers to: the people who pay. The campaign is a distinct project, coordinated by EGRA on behalf of leaseholders.
| What it needs: at least half of the apartments in each building, plus one, must join. The law counts apartments, not where people live, so owners overseas count just the same. |
| Door-knock day, Sat 7 November: we’re aiming to reach every apartment in all four buildings in one day. Volunteers work in pairs, in their own building, for a couple of hours. Most doors take two minutes, and many neighbours already support RTM but haven’t signed up yet. |
| Overseas owners: we’ve written to around 900 owners overseas and had more than 30 replies so far, mainly from Singapore and Hong Kong. |
| Owners’ briefing: the slides and session notes and Q&A from our 15 October briefing are online. |
| Haven’t registered yet? It’s free, not binding and takes two minutes. Every apartment counts separately. When you’re ready, you can also contribute £170 to the RTM Fund; bank details only ever come from embassygardens-rtm.com/contribute. |
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06 · Halloween House Quiz
A frightfully good night
Thank you to everyone who came to The Orangery for the Halloween House Quiz, to our quizmaster Jaz and to all the volunteers. The team names were a highlight in themselves, from Ballymorgue and BAML of the Dead to Capital Punishment and Resident Evil.
🏆 Congratulations to Creepin’ It Real, who took the crown after winning a nail-biting tiebreaker!
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07 · Estate updates
What’s happening on the estate
EGRA met BAML for the quarterly estate meeting on 21 October. Here are the main points.
Sky Pool works The Sky Pool maintenance has been delayed. The specialist contractor that must carry out the work, to protect the pool’s warranty, is still waiting for UK visas, and the cost estimate has risen significantly. We’ve asked BAML for a full cost breakdown, the scaffolding quotes and a dedicated meeting. As soon as we have more information, we’ll confirm the dates. |
Service charges and budget The service charge is currently tracking to budget for this year, though we’re watching it closely until the late invoices are in. Coming up: in November, EGRA plans to meet BAML to review the long-delayed capital expenditure (capex) plan and, we hope, a draft 2027 service charge budget. Reserve contributions are likely to need to rise. Bradley is BAML’s new divisional director for Embassy Gardens and will be leading on finance and cost control. |
Heating and boilers In Phase 1, six of the 12 new boilers are now running, with completion due on 8 December followed by two weeks of checks. If your HIU hasn’t been serviced in the last 10 months, book through the EG Life app › Our Spaces › HIU Servicing. |
The Orangery and gym We’re testing interest from operators to run The Orangery next summer, with a permanent kitchen planned for next winter. If you own a bar or restaurant and would be interested in running The Orangery, email info@egra.org.uk. A new wellness role is coming to the gym (yoga, Pilates, dance and meditation). |
Lifts, EWS1 and lease rules Lift phone lines are moving from copper to mobile (GSM) by the end of January 2027. We’ve had an updated view on the buildings’ EWS1 fire-safety ratings and are now awaiting the certificates. If you hit an EWS1 query when selling or remortgaging, let us know. BAML has issued nine rubbish infringement letters and identified two short-let lease breaches. |
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08 · Landscaping and planning
Changes coming to the gardens
Wandsworth Council has told the developer that several areas of the estate don’t match the original planning consent. Ballymore is proposing changes, and EGRA is pushing for designs that deter anti-social behaviour, e-bikes, dog fouling and encampments, not just restore open views.
Linear Park Ballymore proposes meadow grasses and shrubs ringed by low wire fencing. We want dense, secure-by-design planting without gaps that become rat runs, and we’ve asked the council what crime and ASB evidence it’s relying on. |
Sunken Garden The council wants the hedging removed and benches added to restore the view. We oppose creating a broad, open gathering space and have suggested denser planting instead. |
The Alchemist garden A new artist-inspired open garden with low benches, planting and two sculptures, replacing the broken swing. The committee thinks this is the strongest of the proposals. |
These go to the planners on 8 December. Have a view? Email info@egra.org.uk.
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09 · New: Ask Egi
Got a question about EG? Ask Egi
Our new estate assistant is now live at egra.org.uk/ask. Ask it anything about life at Embassy Gardens, from bin collections and parcels to heating, the Sky Pool and who to contact, and it finds the answer from our resident FAQ.
Know something that should be in there? Email info@egra.org.uk and we’ll add it.
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10 · Around Nine Elms & Battersea
Festive season on our doorstep
Local events in November and December, run by other organisers. Check times and tickets with them before you go.
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| Sat 7 & Sun 8 Nov |
Battersea Park Fireworks
South London’s biggest display, with a fairground and live music. Ticketed. |
| 6 Nov – 3 Jan |
Glide ice rink
London’s only riverside ice rink, with a 200-metre skate trail · Battersea Power Station |
| Sat 14 & Sun 15 Nov |
Salad Days Market
Art, jewellery, homeware and fashion stalls · Battersea Power Station |
| Sun 22 Nov |
Santa arrives at the Power Station
A dance party in Malaysia Square, then Santa and his elves abseil down the Power Station |
| 27 Nov – 24 Dec |
Santa’s Workshop
New this year: an immersive family grotto inside the Power Station |
| Sat 5 & Sun 13 Dec |
The Nutcracker
London Children’s Ballet in Turbine Hall A, at 12pm, 2pm and 3pm |
| 5 – 22 Dec |
Curated Makers Christmas Market
Gifts from independent makers · Battersea Power Station |
| 6, 12, 13, 20 & 21 Dec |
Winter Nights at the Zoo
After-dark Christmas evenings with lantern-lit animal encounters, 5:30–8:30pm · Battersea Park Children’s Zoo |
| Wed 16 Dec |
Chase the Moon 5K & 10K
An evening run from the bandstand, 7pm · Battersea Park |
Know about something local that’s coming up? Tell us at info@egra.org.uk and we’ll consider it for next month.
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Know a neighbour who'd like this?
EGRA membership is free for every resident, whether you own or rent. Forward this email and ask them to join.
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Embassy Gardens Residents' Association
Run by volunteer residents. Independent of the developer and estate management.
egra.org.uk · info@egra.org.uk · Help & contacts
This newsletter is produced by volunteers to benefit leaseholders and tenants living at Embassy Gardens. We welcome editorial contributions from residents, and from local businesses and organisations with promotions or news for our community. Send them to info@egra.org.uk.
Our mailing address is:
Embassy Gardens Residents Association
Ambassador Building Post Room
5 New Union Square
London, SW11 7BR
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