The inaugural Richmond Prop Social, sponsored by Fieldfisher and held in the White Cross Public House overlooking Richmond Bridge, was hosted by UK Property Forums managing director Matthew Battle.
The 25 delegates heard from Councillor Katie Mansfield, who emphasised the importance of the Richmond Town Centre Strategy which has commenced with an engagement process and is seeking to work within a public, private and voluntary framework.
Cllr Mansfield said;
” Richmond town centre has long been held as an iconic destination and, versus other town centres across the country it is performing well, with low vacancy rates. However, we can see the effects of changing public expectations and needs so have stared a process to review the offering.
“We’ve been undergoing an extensive engagement exercise to ensure we hear from the whole community and interviewing those that we often don’t hear from – those in primary schools, secondary schools, areas with social housing and many more.
“How can we make Richmond work for the whole community and bring about that sense of place and placemaking? We can’t work in isolation as a council; it has to be a partnership between public, private and voluntary sectors, working on a shared vision of what we can do.”
Cllr Mansfield made it clear that the property industry is critical to the process;
“Landlords, developers and architects are working on placemaking initiatives and you have learnings, ideas and solutions that can be used.
“To make Richmond work well, we will all have to work together.”
Cllr Mansfield invited the audience to participate in the process and can be contacted with any thoughts and ideas. Please email Cllr Mansfield here: cllr.k.mansfield@richmond.gov.uk.
The Twickenham Riverside CPO’s success for the council was well received by the delegates, with warm applause.
Delegates stayed on after the close and spoke of how they look forward to the next UK Prop Social in Richmond which is planned for Spring 2024. Details can be found on the UK Property Forums web site or become a member and receive early information on our events.
© London West (powered by ukpropertyforums.com).
Sign up to receive our weekly free journal, The Forum here.
