The Mayor of Kingston upon Thames, Cllr Yogan Yoganathan and Kingston and Surbiton MP, Ed Davey, were joined by members of Kingston Council on Wednesday (October 12) for the groundbreaking of a consumer giant's headquarters which is set to bring 2,000 jobs to the town centre.

Unilever, the firm behind global brands such as Dove, Magnum and Ben & Jerry's is set to relocate its offices from Surrey to Kingston and is hoping to start occupying office buildings on the campus from early 2025.

Developer Cube Real Estate signed a £250 million deal with equity firm LCN Capital Partners on the Kingston site Eden Campus. Two interlinked office buildings, 115 homes and a new car park designed for electrical charging, with around 360 spaces, are planned for the site. Thirty-five per cent of the homes will be affordable.

CGI for the Eden Campus, Kingston. Credit: Darling Associates/Construct Media

Kingston Council's planning committee granted planning permission for Eden Campus in March 2021. Cube Real Estate worked with the council to update the plans for locals, with particular focus on making the development more sustainable.

The updated plans, approved in April this year, include efforts to reduce carbon emissions during construction and a reduction in the heights of some of the office buildings.

CGI for the Eden Campus, Kingston. Credit: Darling Associates/Construct Media

Councillor Andreas Kirsch, leader of Kingston Council, said the scheme from the "major" employer will bring "huge opportunities" to the local economy and residents with more than 2,000 jobs coming to the town centre. He said: "I'm particularly pleased we've been able to work with the developer to further improve the green credentials of the scheme, including reducing the CO2 associated with the build, halving lorry journeys and reducing the energy requirements of the buildings."