This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Southfields Grid Residents Association (SGRA) — a grassroots group born from a crisis that nearly erased one of Putney’s most cherished neighbourhoods.
It began in the early 1970s when boarded-up homes started appearing across Clonmore Street and other parts of the Grid. As rumours spread and property prices plummeted, residents discovered that Wandsworth Council had quietly bought dozens of homes — and then left them empty, declaring them unfit for habitation.
The council claimed the properties didn’t meet the then-required “Parker-Morris” standards, and lacked the budget to renovate them. Locals feared a larger plan was afoot: to raze the area and replace it with tower blocks.
One woman, Tina Thompson, decided enough was enough.
“I felt my home was under attack,” she later wrote. “So I had a couple of thousand leaflets printed, and my friends and I delivered them round the Grid.” A packed public meeting followed, a constitution was agreed, and the Southfields Grid Residents Association was formed — dedicated to preserving, maintaining and enhancing the community.
Area protection and maintenance
What began as a resistance to demolition quickly became a long-standing force for good. Over the years, the SGRA has helped maintain the character of Southfields Grid — with its tree-lined streets, Edwardian terraces, and active civic life — while advocating on everything from planning applications to policing.
Today, SGRA still plays a vital role in shaping the local area. It co-hosts the Safer Neighbourhood Team Ward Panel — where residents can raise concerns directly with police — and runs one of the borough’s most-loved traditions: the Front Garden Awards. This year’s contest, judged in scorching heat, saw a record 30 “Outstanding” awards and crowned 154 Clonmore Street the 2025 winner.
The group has also weighed in on local safety issues, including the use of temporary CCTV cameras to tackle fly-tipping and anti-social behaviour. While it acknowledges limits to CCTV’s effectiveness, the SGRA has kept pressure on the council to use all available tools — and to ensure residents’ concerns are heard.
Founder’s Journey
The association’s founder, Tina Thompson, went on to represent Southfields as a councillor for 16 years and served as Mayor of Wandsworth from 1997 to 1998. But it is her legacy in uniting the community that remains most enduring.
Thanks to her and the SGRA, Southfields Grid today remains one of Putney’s most stable and community-minded neighbourhoods — not a patch of concrete blocks, but a place where residents still stop to admire a neighbour’s front garden or raise a concern about fly-tipping at the next ward meeting.
Fifty years on, the message still holds: local voices matter — especially when they speak together.
