Investing in Kingston Town Centre

This will include redeveloping the Guildhall complex and the Guildhall itself, to create work spaces, homes, and public spaces for the benefit of everyone in the community. 

This is in addition to the council’s recently announced plans for a new swimming pool and leisure centre, as well as planned work to transform the riverside at the back of John Lewis into a creative and enterprise zone.

Cllr Caroline Kerr, Leader of Kingston Council, said:

"This is about heritage and about breathing new life in to the town but it’s also a response to COVID-19. Like councils everywhere we are facing huge financial problems. We don’t want to cut services to residents so we have to examine our own costs.

"We want to invest in Kingston’s future - creating new homes, new workplaces on this site and possibly a boutique hotel in this building. This will be a landmark regeneration proposal for the borough. We will need some office space in future of course and we will be looking at options in the town centre and in community hubs around the borough. But it’s your money and we won’t fritter it on our own operations."

Outline proposals will be put to the council’s Response and Recovery next Thursday 26 November 2020.

Watch Cllr Kerr talk about the vision for Kingston Town Centre.