Kingswood North Estate Company Ltd (KNECL) owns the freehold title to the roads, verges and associated infrastructure of the Kingswood North private residential estate, which consists of Forest Drive, The Glade and most of the linked spur roads.
The company was established in 2020 to take ownership of the estate from the original developer, Richard Costain and Sons Ltd. Its main roles are to manage, maintain and repair the estate roads and infrastructure and to preserve and, where possible, improve the existing amenities and character of the roads and the estate. It undertakes these activities under the terms of its Articles of Association.
All directors and officers of KNECL are estate residents who give their time voluntarily. 98% of the estate residents are shareholders who vote for the company directors at each Annual General Meeting. The company is managed by the directors and other officers who form a management committee with reference to an agreed set of estate principles. These are reviewed annually and voted on at the AGM. Other resident volunteers assist by participating in task-focused groups dealing with road management, safety, appearance, and development on the estate.
The work of KNECL is financed by an annual road levy payable by all residents as well as by various fees and charges – e.g, for exceptional usage of the road infrastructure or for additional services. As a voluntarily managed, not for profit company, all monies are retained within the company and primarily applied in maintaining and repairing the estate infrastructure.
KNECL is also the beneficial owner of individual property covenants on the Kingswood North estate and part of its role is to manage and enforce all rights, privileges, easements and covenants for the collective benefit of all residents. In doing this it aims to ensure supported future development is in line with the character of the roads and their status as a Residential Area of Special Character and, in part, a designated Conservation Area.
The formation of KNECL and its ownership of these roads gives control of the area back directly to the resident shareholders and is a very significant event for those who live in this part of the Kingswood community.
Directors & Officers
All directors and officers of Kingswood North Estate Company Ltd are volunteers and give their time freely in support of the local community. Directors and members of the Road Committees are elected annually by KNECL shareholders/Kingswood North residents.
Kingswood North Estate Company Ltd:
| Justus van der Spuy | Chair | |
| Suzanne Palmer | Deputy Chair | |
| David Rawson | Finance Director | |
| Graham Killick | Director | |
| Will Rockall | Director | |
| John Russell-Smith | Director |
KNECL Management Committee:
Directors as above + Officers
| Chris White | Company Secretary | |
| Kevin Connolly | Officer | enquiries@knecl.com |
| David Hempsted | Officer |
Other volunteers with sub Committees:
Jackie Lover (road safety issues)
Bruce Noble (development and planning issues)
BIOGRAPHIES
Justus van der Spuy: Chair, KNECL
Justus, his wife, Clare, and daughter, Isabelle, have lived in Kingswood since 1999, and at their present property, Killara, The Glade – a Paxton Watson-designed Arts & Crafts home built by Costain around 1927 – since 2004. Justus has worked in bulk physical liquid and derivative fuels trading since 1990 and, before that, was a foreign exchange and bond trader with a South African bank. He emigrated to the UK from South Africa in 1992 and has been a British citizen since 2000. His experience of starting and running small companies in volatile environments across different global regions has led to a natural capacity for understanding the different ‘wiring’ and outlooks of people who have been shaped by different cultures and environments. His (distant) legal and business education and experience of risk management, contracts and documentation have proved helpful in the KNECL Company Secretary role. Much to Clare’s frustration, his interests include adding continuously to large collections of vinyl music and books recounting voyages of discovery.
Suzanne Palmer: Deputy Chair, KNECL
Suzanne moved to Kingswood with her family as a young child and remained living there until her late teens when they moved to Banstead. Suzanne has always lived in the local area, moving to Woodmansterne in 1992. While living in Woodmansterne, Suzanne married Derick and in 1998 their eldest son was born. Suzanne then moved to Banstead where her family grew with a daughter being born in 1999 and another son in 2001. In 2012 Suzanne moved back to Kingswood with her family. Her career has been predominantly in the construction industry as a quantity surveyor. More recently she started working as a property manager for a local block and estate management business so she could spend more time with her family. Suzanne’s success with this role resulted in her being part of a management buyout of HES Estate Management Ltd in 2018, becoming an equal owner with an existing partner and colleague. Suzanne is an active member of the Kingswood Residents’ Association (KRA).
David Rawson: Finance Director, KNECL
David and his wife Helen have lived in Kingswood since 2004 – at their current property, Pinewood House in The Glade since 2014 and before that in Warren Drive. He joined what was then The Glade and (Part) Forest Drive Road Association in 2019 shortly after he retired early, initially in the role of Treasurer but quickly became closely involved in the negotiation and structuring of the Kingswood North Estate ownership transfer from Costain. He enjoyed a long career in finance, for the last 20 years of which he led the European Corporate Finance business of a major Australian bank. His experience in legal negotiations, documentation, accounting, budgeting, and planning prove helpful in his role as the KNECL Finance Director. His interests include watching most sports and travelling, with the opportunity to combine the two a major plus. Countries visited to date total 55 and he plans to continue increasing this number – hopefully using the many, many Airmiles amassed from his 50+ work visits to Australia!
Graham Killick: Director, KNECL
Graham Killick moved to Kingswood in 2003 from the Cheam village area, where he had lived for many years with his wife, Liz, and daughters, Michelle and Stephanie. His whole working life has been in the construction industry. Having failed architectural qualifications, he followed a career in surveying with consultants and contractors alike, eventually becoming commercial director for a major groundwork and civil engineering contractor in the South East. He retired in 2015 and, not long after, joined his road association in Forest Drive to provide assistance with the maintenance of the roads and drains. Although helping to look after grandchildren now occupies much of his life, he still finds time to pursue his interests in travel and golf – and his annual ski trip is one not to be missed.
William Rockall: Director, KNECL
William moved to Little Dene, Forest Drive with his family in 2010 from Twickenham. Having lived in Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, Kent, Middlesex and now Surrey, he is well-acquainted with the South East. He has a background of more than 30 years in digital media production, working at the BBC and as a freelance, and his work has been shown on numerous channels from Disney to Discovery. In 2001 he co-founded the film and TV visual effects company Jellyfish Pictures, now one of the largest studios in Europe, which has completed work on the last three Star Wars movies. Currently, William is a director of CharitableBookings.com, a travel and lifestyle hotel booking site which works in partnership with Booking.com and which gives a portion of the booking fee to a charity of the booker’s choice. His main interests include filming, photography, and his collection of tropical fish.
John Russell-Smith: Director, KNECL
John, Kate and their three boys, Archie, Ted and Ollie, moved into Beckers on The Glade in 2016. Before that, having moved out of London in 2005, they lived in Tadworth. John went to Glyn School in Epsom and has spent more than 30 years working in professional services, largely focused on insurance and employee benefits. He is currently working for Aon. Having previously commuted to his office in the City, he is now WFH. John spends most of his spare time watching his children play football, rugby, cricket and golf, as well as walking the family dogs. If time allows, he is a keen cyclist who has climbed many Alpine peaks in pursuit of his passion.
Chris White: Officer, Company Secretary, KNECL
Chris White lives with his wife and three children at Wildwood on The Glade. They have lived in Kingswood for four years, having moved there from Weybridge, and love the peace and tranquillity of the estate. They especially enjoy the surrounding countryside and the fantastic amenities they have on their doorstep including tennis, golf and cycling, as well as the unparalleled opportunity to walk straight into the local woodland and downland. Chris is a solicitor and has practised as a commercial lawyer in the City and as an in-house lawyer and company secretary in the energy sector. He has recent and relevant experience of property and planning law, as well as insurance and construction contracts, which he hopes to bring to the benefit of KNECL.
Kevin Connolly: Officer, Website and Enquiries Administrator, KNECL
Kevin was a science and mathematics teacher at secondary schools in the early 1970s, moving on to teaching at a polytechnic in the early 1980s. He is a perpetual student and in 1985 was awarded a PhD. He got lucky with the advent of Big Bang and landed a job in the City. In those days, he says, being able to do long division meant you were considered a guru. In 1993 he retired early and moved to Kingswood, where he now lives with his wife, Shirley. His interests include recreational mathematics, fixing machines and trying to keep up with technological advances.