News in Kingston

Kingston Council is working with the Union of Kingston Students and Studio KT1, led by students at Kingston School of Art (KSA) and Kingston Business School, to create an exciting new project that will help to define the changing face of the high street.

The former PC World unit in Fife Road, Kingston Town Centre will be temporarily reimagined as a creative space while redevelopment of the site is pending, helping to avoid a prominent shop lying empty.

A call for entries for a new and exciting Sculpture Trail in Kingston town centre has been launched today. Artists from Kingston and beyond are invited to submit ideas for a contemporary sculpture which will form part of a new trail to open in the Summer of 2021.

The trail will be made up of six new sculptures and will incorporate existing public artworks including David Mach's iconic red phone box sculpture Out of Order (1989) and Carole Hodgson FRSS's wall-based sculpture in the underground car park (1986). The trail will run across the town centre including the riverside and Canbury Gardens, North of the town centre and will be in place for six months.

Communities will soon be invited to share their latest thoughts and ideas on how we plan for the future of Kingston, following approval for further engagement on the borough's Local Plan at Culture, Housing, Environment and Planning Committee yesterday (17 March).

The green light was given for an additional round of engagement following an unprecedented amount of change since the previous early engagement in 2019, including the Coronavirus pandemic, significant changes to and new proposals for national planning policies and housing targets.

COVID-19 vaccinations are now open to even more people.

Over 50s can now come forward and book their jabs.

Over the next year, Kingston Heritage Service will be searching for the top '100 Histories' that best represent the heritage of the borough.

Residents and people connected to Kingston are invited to submit their histories on a new interactive digital map. Next year, the top stories will be shared and used to create activities, events, and improve the offer produced by the Heritage service. Any submissions not already featured in the collections at Kingston Museum and Kingston History Centre will be reviewed for future inclusion.

Kingston Libraries, working with Libraries Connected and second year students from Kingston School of Art, have created a programme of events entitled "Beyond Shelves", which celebrates the role of libraries at the heart of communities, providing opportunities to get residents excited and engaged in new ways.

Based on the BBC's The One Hundred Novels That Shaped Our World festival, the first event is an immersive, interactive zoom call with protagonists from the book V for Vendetta, taking place on 2 April from 7 - 9pm. Participants will be able to explore the themes and drama from this award winning graphic novel, as well as propel the story forward through decision making and interaction.

Plans for three more playground refurbishments have been finalised following consultation on the next phase of the Community Parks Programme.

During the pandemic, going outside to enjoy open spaces for fresh air, to connect with nature, to play and for exercise has been extremely important to our residents and Kingston Council are committed to continuing to invest in our green spaces.

Kingston Council will equip its civil enforcement officers with body worn video cameras as part of a new four-week trial.

NSL, the Council's parking enforcement contractor, will introduce the measure on 6 April. If the trial is successful, the Council will look into making the cameras permanent.

Police conducted early morning raids today with seven warrants at addresses across the capital including one in Kingston.

The warrants were part of Operation Snoop, an investigation lead by the Met's Modern Slavery and Child Exploitation Unit [MSCE] into the trafficking of Chinese women in to the UK for the purpose of sexual exploitation.

More bus strikes are planned before the end of March across London.

A number of routes in Kingston will be affected.