Kingston University has been a leading partner in collaboration with Kingston Council, Kingston First, and the Greater London Authority to drive wider community regeneration and help develop a more successful and inclusive town centre. The long-term strategy will provide opportunities for the community to transform Kingston Town Centre and enable students to become actively involved in community projects.
The strategy will become the blueprint to help secure future funding opportunities and development plans for the area.
Co-developed with local groups, social enterprises, residents, public institutions and businesses, the refreshed approach sets out strategic priorities and guidelines for local people, businesses and strategic partners on how to deliver projects to help diversify the town centre’s offering.
Kirsten Henly, Chief Executive at Kingston First, said:
“The University is an important partner to the town and its success, and their input to a town wide strategy has been both valuable to us and provided a great perspective on our thinking. It also enabled the partnership to access academic and student expertise as the strategy developed and ensured our ideas tied into the opportunities the University’s new Town House building brings to the wider community. This work will serve as a guide to improve and better connect the town’s streets and public spaces and has already catalysed a number of new projects which are currently being developed with the University’s continued support and input.”
Nazeya Hussain, Director of Growth at Kingston Council, said:
“We welcome the new strategy and guiding principles for enhancing Kingston Town Centre’s streets and spaces. We believe everyone should have the opportunity to contribute to the development of their local area and encourage residents and businesses to get involved with the project proposals, or even submit new ideas that support our priorities. We can make Kingston, better together.”
Professor Steven Spier, Vice-Chancellor of Kingston University, said:
“As a key partner, Kingston University welcomes the opportunity to play a pivotal role in shaping the future direction of Kingston Town Centre’s public realm. The partnership has been instrumental in establishing a framework for the future, cleverly spanning a range of opportunities from small projects to those on a larger scale. The combined effect of these initiatives, along with important contributions from the community, will enable an incremental improvement to the town centre, bringing significant benefits both for the University and borough as a whole.”
