Kingston Council and Kingston First are continuing their partnership to transform two spaces across Kingston town centre into places where everyone can unwind, enjoy and connect with nature.
The first of these is Eagle Brewery Wharf, where landscape architects Farrer Huxley have been appointed to take the project forward, bringing the feedback from previous engagement activities to life through design options that will be ready next month.
The project team will showcase these design ideas at the site on 20th May and seek further feedback on ways to transform the space, including the types of seating that could be used and the kind of activities that could take place.
The second partnership site at Memorial Gardens has also seen progress, with the brief inviting landscape architects to pitch for the work receiving an exciting level of interest. It is anticipated that a practice will be appointed to start further design work in the coming weeks, with public and stakeholder engagement to follow later this summer.
Cllr John Sweeney, portfolio holder for Economic Development and Regeneration at Kingston Council, said:
“Increasing opportunities for everyone to enjoy our wonderful riverside, as well as what our town centres have to offer, is really important.
“It is great to be able to provide relaxing and accessible open spaces that can attract people into Kingston, and I look forward to hearing local feedback and working with the team to ensure that these spaces deliver for all.”
Kirsten Henly, chief executive of Kingston First, said:
“This is a fantastic project to transform a unique space on Kingston’s riverside into a place for everyone to access, enjoy and experience.
“Following feedback and engagement with local businesses, residents and visitors, we’ve got plenty of ideas to build on and take forward into this next phase of development. I’m looking forward to working with the community to really make Eagle Brewery Wharf a special place, and I encourage everyone to get involved.”
This initiative is part of Kingston town’s public realm strategy, Reimagining Kingston Town Centre’s Streets and Spaces, which was completed in collaboration with Kingston First, Kingston Council, Kingston University and the GLA. The strategy sets out a blueprint for how public spaces could be invested in to improve the experience of Kingston, encourage more people to move around all parts of the town and ensure that the town’s culture, heritage and riverside assets continue to be developed. It also feeds into the work currently underway, which looks at how we shape the future of the town centre and surrounding area; A Plan for Kingston Town Centre Area.
The Eagle Brewery Wharf and Memorial Gardens projects are part of the council’s ‘Transform Kingston’ and High Street Regeneration programmes, which aim to reinvigorate and reshape the town centre to make it even better for residents, local businesses, students and visitors.
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