In the last few months, Kingston Council has presented a new Local Plan for consultation, which aims to improve Kingston by 2041. The plan covers the provision of homes, jobs and schools.
It also aims to regenerate Kingston, introducing more vibrant town centres, open spaces and encouraging transport links. However, the Local Plan also has at its heart mitigating climate change and declining biodiversity and ensuring the borough is well equipped for the climate emergency.
Kingston Council drafted this current Local Plan as a first draft based on ideas from different communities in 2019 and 2021. It is clear from both this and the fact that the Kingston Council has put this plan forward for consultation from November 2022 to February 2023 that it wants its new Local Plan to thoroughly engage with the ideas and aspirations of Kingston’s communities.
That said, Sarah King, a Kingston resident was disappointed by the level of engagement with local communities - especially given how impactful this plan would be.
She suggested: “This is the first I’ve heard of it and they could engage a little bit more.” She cited the fact that she had not had any information through the post as evidence for the council’s lack of engagement with local communities. This led her, therefore, to be confused about claims that the council was extensively local communities on this new plan.
Kingston Council has suggested that this new Local Plan is needed for a range of reasons. Firstly, it needs to ensure that the council’s agenda is up-to-date: issues such as the climate emergency and recovery from COVID-19 may not have been considered in earlier proposals.
Thus, this explains why this proposal concentrates heavily on mitigating the impacts of climate change. Indeed, it may be likely that they felt the opinions and ideas of communities had changed substantially since the last proposals, meaning that the Council found it necessary to implement a new agenda with stronger focus on Kingston’s communities this time. The Plan also seeks to respond to the growth of London and secure Kingston’s place within this.
The first draft of the Local Plan aims to ensure net zero carbon emissions, ensuring that Kingston can adapt to climate change and socioeconomic changes. Yet, the Council is also keen to implement some social and economic changes.
For example, the Council hopes to regenerate the town centre whilst keeping heritage at its heart. Part of this would include encouraging a wide range of cafes, restaurants, retailers, culture, leisure centres and business offices to move into Kingston.
These proposals connect with the Council’s plans to boost the local economy, by boosting employment and the night-time economy for example. Indeed, the local plan also includes a range of building projects, with the aim being that there are enough homes for all and that these homes are adaptable for future generations. Indeed, all building projects promise to be sustainable; this connects with the Plan’s proposal to increase the number of green and safe spaces in Kingston too.
Therefore, the first draft of the new Local Plan for Kingston is an important document, as it will shape the next decades of Kingston’s development. Thus, it is important to engage with these consultation opportunities and present ideas to the council before the Plan comes into effect.
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