Starting in September 2025 and running through to January 2027, UK Power Networks (UKPN) is undertaking one of the most significant pieces of utility infrastructure work Kingston upon Thames has seen in years. A 13-kilometre underground high-voltage cable is being laid from Sury Basin in Kingston town centre all the way south to Chessington. That is a corridor cutting through some of the borough's busiest residential and arterial streets — and residents deserve a clear account of what is coming, where, and for how long.
UKPN is replacing and reinforcing the underground electricity network that serves the southern arc of the borough. High-voltage underground cables have a finite lifespan, and UKPN has identified this corridor as requiring urgent upgrade to meet both current demand and future load requirements — including the growing pressure from electric vehicle charging and heat pump adoption.
The cable route runs roughly south from Sury Basin (adjacent to the Hogsmill River near Kingston town centre), through Surbiton and Tolworth, before terminating in the Chessington area. The 13km length means the works will not sit neatly in one ward — they will ripple through multiple communities over sequential phases.
Based on the confirmed route from Sury Basin to Chessington, the project corridor passes through or immediately adjacent to the following wards:
The key arterial roads that form the spine of the route — and will therefore face the most sustained disruption — include:
Residential side streets in Berrylands and Chessington North are also expected to see temporary closures as UKPN installs junction boxes and cable joints — the most disruptive single operations in any underground cable project.
UKPN typically works in sequential phases on projects of this scale, moving south along the route rather than excavating everything simultaneously. That is the good news: your street will probably not be closed for the full 18 months. The bad news is that when UKPN does arrive in your section, closures and traffic management can last several weeks per phase.
Phase 1 (September–December 2025): Works are expected to begin in the northern section around Sury Basin and the Surbiton Hill corridor. This is the most complex urban section, with existing utilities dense beneath the carriageway.
Phase 2 (January–June 2026): The project moves into Berrylands and the Tolworth corridor along Ewell Road and surrounding streets. This phase coincides with the May 2026 Kingston Council elections — 48 councillors across 19 wards are up for election on 7 May 2026 — meaning roadworks disruption could become a live political issue.
Phase 3 (July–November 2026): Hook Road and the Chessington North sections. Hook Road is already under chronic pressure from development traffic and serves as the primary access route for a large residential population.
Phase 4 (December 2026–January 2027): Final connections, reinstatement, and snagging in the Chessington South area.
These phases are indicative based on the known start point, end point, and overall project duration. UKPN should be publishing detailed phase programmes — and residents should demand they do.
The Ewell Road and Hook Road corridors are not just local roads. They carry significant commuter and school-run traffic, and closures will push vehicles onto already-stressed alternatives:
Step 1: Use Street Manager All utility companies operating in England are legally required to register their works on the government's Street Manager platform. Go to streetmanager.dft.gov.uk and search by postcode or street name. This will show you the exact permit reference, planned dates, and whether works are running to schedule.
Step 2: Check One.Network Kingston Council publishes live roadworks data via one.network (accessible through the council website). This aggregates Street Manager data into a map view. Bookmark it.
Step 3: Report Problems Directly to UKPN If UKPN works are overrunning their permitted dates, causing unnecessary obstruction, or leaving sites in poor condition, report it to:
Step 4: Escalate to Kingston Council's Highways Team Kingston Council's Street Works Inspectors have the power to issue fixed penalty notices to utility companies that overrun without authorisation or fail to comply with Traffic Management Act requirements. Contact the highways team via the council website and cite the permit number.
Step 5: Log a Formal Complaint If the disruption is causing you measurable harm — particularly if you run a business on an affected street — you have the right to complain formally. UKPN is regulated by Ofgem. A complaint to Ofgem should be a last resort but is a legitimate option if UKPN's internal complaints process fails.
Step 6: Contact Your Councillor With full council elections on 7 May 2026, every sitting councillor in affected wards has a strong incentive to take residents' concerns seriously. The six wards in this corridor — Grove, Surbiton Hill, Berrylands, Tolworth and Hook Rise, Chessington North and Hook, and Chessington South — are all represented by councillors you can contact directly.
Kingston Council does not control UKPN's statutory right to dig up the highway, but it does control the permitting and inspection regime. There are legitimate questions residents should be putting to the council:
If you live or work in any of the six wards in this corridor, you should not be waiting for UKPN to knock on your door. Check Street Manager today for works already registered. Note the permit numbers for your street. And if you believe the works are being managed badly — or that the council is not holding UKPN to account firmly enough — tell your councillors.
Council Clarity makes it easy. Use our messaging tool to contact your ward councillors directly and ask them what scrutiny Kingston Council is applying to this 18-month project. Your councillors work for you — make sure they know you are watching.
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