Oatlands is located in South East London, in the London Borough of Elmbridge. This neighbourhood area has many open green spaces such as Weybridge Green, where one can enjoy a morning walk or play sports. Most inner-city London areas that border the River Thames are highly urbanised, however this Surrey Village has stuck to its suburban roots. Oatlands’ unassuming nature is actually home to a rich cultural history. This Surrey Village is reasonably well connected with Queens Road connecting residents to Seven Hills Road, a street that eventually leads to the A3.

Local Oatlands Park, was once home to English Royalty. Henry VIII purchased the site and its surrounding land from a family of London goldsmiths in the 16th century. Oatlands Park is one of the few non-civil Parishes in Elmbridge. Most of this neighbourhood area is centred around Queens Road, named as such because Queen Victoria passed through the then Common Road, which was subsequently renamed. Later on, local residents helped to purchase The York Column in 1822, a stone monument for the Duchess of York who died in 1820 but spent much of her life in Oatlands.

Henry and Anne of Cleves married in 1540 in Oatlands Palace. However, the marriage was declared null and void, allowing Henry to marry Anne’s lady-in-waiting, Catherine Howard.

Some local roads have been criticised for their lack of drivability and general poor conditions. Unfortunately, with the few public transport routes in the area, residents have to deal with these poor roads as they rely on their private cars to get around.

Although it’s still subject to planning permission, a 900 space secondary school has been proposed. Once approved, the school will be set to open on Green Belt land near this neighbourhood in 2020.

Like many comparable rural satellites of London the rate of development in the Oatland area is slow. High property prices and a large number of retired residents keen on resisting change to their neighbourhood also means that developers can have a hard time getting planning permission to build here. The most significant proposed change to the area was the construction of a new 900-space highschool, however, despite originally being scheduled to open in 2020, these plans have been put on hold indefinitely.