Ashdown Road, Royal Exchange, Kingston

Project type:	Reuse of Historic Building & Place
Client:	St George West London
Stage:	On-site

The Grade II listed Old Post Office, in the heart of Kingston-upon-Thames, formed the focus of JTP’s regeneration of this prominent town centre site.

Located within Kingston’s historic Eden Quarter, much of The Royal Exchange has lain derelict since the 1980’s, when a new relief road severed the historic urban fabric of the site from the surrounding streets, and the Telephone Exchange became obsolete as a result of technological advances.

The site offers the opportunity to regenerate the town centre, bringing back into active use two ‘at risk’ Grade II listed buildings as part of a new mixed use hub for Kingston, with new homes, shops, restaurants, offices and community space, as well as over half an acre of landscaped public realm.

St George, with JTP, has undertaken an extensive engagement process with the local community, stakeholders and statutory consultees, with over 1,000 local people in attendance at exhibitions to help shape the proposals.

Ashdown Road received planning permission in 2016 and is now on site, with construction due to complete from 2020.

“

It is very good news that a site that has been derelict for decades can be regenerated, and two listed buildings on the ‘at risk’ register will be reborn.

Councillor Richard Hudson, Chair of the Development Control Committee at Kingston Council

Project Delivery

The comprehensive regeneration of an underused brownfield site to create a vibrant new town centre destination, providing high quality new restaurants and retail spaces to complement the established town centre facilities
Protecting and enhancing the two Grade II listed buildings to ensure their appropriate reuse and long-term survival: The Old Post Office will have restaurant, community and flexible retail uses and will feature a new public square, and the Telephone Exchange will be a high-quality office space
322 new homes, of which 17% will be affordable, in a range of sizes to help meet local housing need and support a mixed community, with landscaped courtyard gardens for residents
Mixed uses intended to provide activity at different times of the day set within generous landscaped public realm, with strong pedestrian connections to the town centre
The new streetscapes surrounding the new quarter will also be improved, with new paving, tree and shrub planting, cycle parking and street lighting
Sustainable transport strategy integrated with Kingston council’s proposed ‘Mini-Holland’ cycling initiative