The Council Office Complex (excluding the Guildhall building) is made up of several underutilised buildings, where the council’s main offices are currently located, within Kingston Town Centre. This prime site is surrounded by a mix of predominantly commercial uses and is directly next to the new homes and Unilever headquarters currently under construction.
The area could be redeveloped to provide new homes and spaces for business and leisure services as well as new public areas and landscaping to celebrate and respect the Hogsmill River which runs through the site and the neighbouring Grade II listed Guildhall.
Kingston Council is looking to bring forward two of the office buildings for redevelopment and would very much welcome early discussions with potential development partners and occupiers. For further information, please get in touch.
PROJECT OWNER: Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames
PLANNING STATUS: No approval to date, partially identified in our Kingston Town Centre Area Action Plan
EXISTING STATUS: Both buildings have been designated as surplus to requirements at February 2022 Corporate & Resources Committee
The major mixed-use redevelopment of the former Surrey House site known as the ‘Eden Campus’ will deliver global blue chip company Unilever Ltd a new UK & Ireland headquarters. The scheme will provide 25,000 sqm of BREEAM Excellent floorspace and 156 new homes, and will be home to over 2,000 highly skilled marketing, sales and product development professionals. The scheme will generate over 200 construction jobs, contribute over £3m directly into the local economy during its development, and provide new energy to Kingston Town Centre.
PROJECT OWNER: Cube Real Estate
PLANNING STATUS: Resolution to Approve
The 197,000 sqm Cambridge Road Estate (CRE) regeneration programme will deliver 2,170 homes including 767 social rented homes and 100 shared equity/shared ownership homes aimed at existing owner occupiers on the estate. Delivered through a joint venture between the council and Countryside Properties, the project will include major opportunities for employment, training, health and well-being for residents as well as economic opportunities for local businesses.
PROJECT OWNER: The CRE (RBK) LLP (Kingston Council and Countryside Properties)
EXISTING STATUS: PLANNING STATUS: Phase One construction started on site in December 2022.
Cocks Crescent represents a key place-making opportunity with the potential to add significantly to the vitality and viability of New Malden. The Council has adopted an Strategic Planning Document (SPD) for the area (2017) which sets a vision for the future place and contains overarching principles to guide the development of the site. This includes providing a new community leisure facility, new homes and public spaces.
PROJECT OWNER: Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames
PLANNING STATUS: No approval to date, commitment to delivery of development here at March 2022 Corporate and Resources Committee
The Cattle Market Car Park has been identified as a location that can facilitate the delivery of much needed housing and is located next to the council’s exciting new community leisure complex.
The Council are currently exploring how best to bring this development site forward and would welcome early discussions with developers and occupiers who may be interested. For further information, please get in touch.
PROJECT OWNER: Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames
PLANNING STATUS: No approval to date, partially identified in our Kingston Town Centre Area Action Plan
EXISTING STATUS: Site has been designated as surplus to requirements at February 2022 Corporate & Resources Committee
Kingston upon Thames is much more than you might expect of a south west London borough: it is the highest ranked London borough for living, working and growth prospects according to the 2023 London Vitality Index, by Lambert Smith Hampton. This draws on a range of factors including ‘living’, ‘health and environment’ and ‘economy and business’.
Kingston was rated particularly high for ‘living’ factors, top in London, driven by educational achievement and house price growth. The borough was in the capital’s top 5 in terms of health & environment, with low cardiovascular mortality and crime rates, high recycling rates and a large supply of green space. In economy & business, Kingston scored well above the London average with one of the highest GVA growth forecasts. The borough is set in a prime location sitting between London’s two main airports, with easy access to central London and the Surrey countryside thanks to 10 rail stations. In addition, a recent national survey identified the borough as one of London’s ‘happiest places to live’, listed in London’s top 3.
Kingston has been a Royal Borough longer than anywhere else - where the coronation of the first kings of all England took place, including the first, King Athelstan in 925. Today's Kingston town centre is one of London’s Metropolitan Centres, one of London’s largest retail centres and regularly identified as one of the country’s most resilient, incorporating its ancient market square and riverside bars and restaurants. The centre provides an important sub-regional role, alongside its desirable local centres of Surbiton, Tolworth, New Malden and Chessington.
Kingston has always been a place of innovation and evolution, from the pioneering photography of Eadweard Muybridge and its aviation history to modern businesses and innovators such as British Aerospace, Unilever and Chessington World of Adventures. Kingston University with a 16,800-strong student base is the largest education provider in south London and is ranked one of the top 50 institutions in the country. Its new Town House building has enhanced Kingston’s reputation for cutting-edge development, winning both the RIBA Stirling Prize (2021) and the EU Prize for Contemporary Architecture (2022).
Business in the borough is characterised by its micro-enterprises that comprise 92% of its 9000-strong business base - although around one quarter of jobs are also provided by employers of 100 employees or more. Major sector strengths include retail and wholesale; education, and health and social care, while employment in arts, entertainment and recreation, financial and business services are strongly represented. Professional, scientific and technical activities, and ICT have contributed disproportionately to recent growth, with over 1000 businesses in digital and tech, employing over 3000 people.
Population projections 2021 168,063
Population projections 2050 188,043
London plan new homes (ten-year target) 9,640
Building council homes for Londoners (four-year programme) 713
Sean Gillen, Corporate Head of Employment, Skills and Economy, sean.gillen@kingston.gov.uk
Simon Maxton, Project Director; Council Office Complex & Cattle Market Car Park, simon.maxton@kingston.gov.uk
“Kingston is a vibrant and diverse borough with a strong cultural and community heritage. We want to create a place that understands and treasures its history, seeks to build on the best of that past, cares passionately about both its built and natural environment, and is confident of its future.
We have a strong vision to breathe new life into regeneration sites across the borough to diversify and better use the areas to deliver a range of housing choices, new workplaces, public facilities, spaces and landscaping for our communities to benefit from. We want to place Kingston’s unique history and heritage at the heart of any regeneration to provide the communities, economy and homes local people value.
We have pledged to build sustainable homes that are affordable so people can live and work in the borough. We are thinking differently about town centres and High Streets as places to live, work and play. We are committed to being carbon neutral, with sustainable and green principles guiding all we do. Bringing forward major developments and providing a supportive policy environment are vital. We’re investing heavily in the borough and invite you to join us in helping to shape Kingston’s future.”
Our Economic Development and Growth Strategy 2018-2025 provides a clear direction for the borough, and this will be refreshed during 2022 to ensure we are well-placed to emerge strongly from the pandemic. The emerging themes of this will build on the previous strategy and respond to new opportunities, likely to include: