Kingston will be one of 12 London boroughs to receive funding and expert support from the Mayor of London's new High Street Place Labs programme.
Focussed on driving inclusive economic growth, the programme delivers £600,000 of investment across the capital, with £50,000 granted over the next year to help each location attract investment, improve public spaces and boost the local economy.
The funding for Surbiton will be used to develop a local growth strategy for the area that will help to secure investment for the town centre and ensure it can continue to thrive. This will be delivered in close working with the newly founded Surbiton Town Centre Partnership, recently agreed by the council and funded through the Neighbourhood Community Infrastructure Levy.
Cllr Alison Holt, Portfolio Holder for Leisure and Economic Development, said:
Our high streets are the lifeblood of our communities and we are committed to supporting local businesses to succeed. This funding from the Mayor provides us with the hugely exciting opportunity to look at how we can boost economic development and growth in Surbiton for the benefit of all in our communities.
Alongside Surbiton's own Neighbourhood Community Infrastructure Levy funding for the new town centre partnership, the funding will also help us to achieve key outcomes in our recently launched economic development strategy 'Confident in Kingston''. This sets out our ambition for Kingston to be increasingly recognised as a place where business flourishes, where investment is welcome and serves every part of the borough, with a green economy at the heart.
The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said:
I'm determined to protect, restore and improve London's high streets - which is why I'm so pleased to provide this new funding for boroughs across the capital that will help them grow and thrive.
My High Street Place Labs programme plays an important role in driving progress on the London Growth Plan, which will deliver economic growth in every corner of our city to raise living standards, put more money in people's pockets and enable us to invest in our public services.
I look forward to working with boroughs to deliver these important improvements for communities across the capital as we continue to build a fairer and more prosperous London for all.
This funding, as well as development of a strategy and action plan for Surbiton, will help to build the capacity of the Surbiton Town Centre Partnership, attract investment to improve the public realm, expand the transition to a circular economy, boost economic activity and support businesses to ensure Surbiton is a thriving town centre.
The success of this funding bid also supports one of the key outcomes of our recently launched Economic Development Strategy for 2024-2028 'Confident in Kingston': 'Adaptable, thriving town centres and places of work.' The strategy aims to provide a vision for the future, building on the uniqueness of our town centres and ensuring they can evolve and diversify in a positive way to ensure continued success.
Read more about 'Confident in Kingston,' the council's Economic Development Strategy.