A business plan for a better Kingston

Kingston First* will today (26 May 2004) reveal its blueprint for a cleaner, safer, brighter and better Kingston Town Centre with the publication of a summarised Business Plan of improvements for the proposed Business Improvement District area.

Kingston First has spent the past two years consulting local businesses of all sizes and types, from the independent retailer or large department store to the local solicitors’ offices, accountant or holiday travel company, to find out exactly what improvements they would like to see in Kingston Town Centre. The whole wish list has been noted, considered, and addressed in Kingston First’s Business Plan to make Kingston Town Centre an even better place to do business.

Top of the list is to make the town centre ‘feel’ safer for customers, visitors and staff. Dirty and unkempt passages, graffiti covered walls, gangs of youths and a lack of any obvious uniformed presence can make the pedestrian feel unsafe or unwelcome in Kingston’s streets. The BID will tackle this immediately, setting aside £250,000 of the estimated £890,000 in ring-fenced funds to be generated by the BID during the first year.

Uniformed meeters and greeters with radio communication with CCTV and police, will be Kingston’s eyes and ears - patrolling the streets seven days a week. They will be stationed at key points, Eden Street for the buses, Kingston Station, the Riverside in the summer and Clarence Street at busier times - available from early morning to early evening, ready to provide information or assistance.

Help points will be strategically positioned at ten key locations around the town. At the touch of a button the pedestrian will be able to speak to someone at Kingston’s CCTV control centre and a camera will swivel to where they are standing. Police or town centre rangers can then be called for assistance if it is needed.

A close second to the subject of safety was the cleanliness of the town centre.

Graham McNally, Kingston’s Town Centre Manager and BID Champion says that the BID will go even further:

“It is an insult to Kingston that graffiti and flyposters are allowed to degrade the historic buildings and walkways that we pass through every day. Kingston’s current street cleaning contract misses alleyways such as those in Eden Street, Castle Street and Fife Road. BID money will be used to make sure that these areas are regularly cleaned of fly tipping, the graffiti will be washed off and the fly posters ripped down, so that these areas do not tarnish Kingston’s reputation as a leading town centre destination.”

He goes on to add:

“The broken and dilapidated telephone boxes on Clarence Street and Fife Road will be removed as a priority, even if I have to do this myself.”

Transport and access is frequently cited as a negative to Kingston, although there are often car parking spaces still available during peak times. The electronic parking signage will be replaced with a system that works. The main gateway from the train station via Fife Road and Castle Street will be improved and pedestrianised.

Kingston First is determined to include property owners in the BID funding mix and has negotiated an agreement for them to make voluntary contributions for the 5-year life of the BID.

It has also secured a baseline agreement from RBK (Royal Borough of Kingston), which sets in stone the services provided by the council throughout the 5-year life of the BID. This means that the BID will only fund services that are additional.

Local businesses want a greater say in how their town centre is managed and a BID for Kingston will provide this opportunity. The Kingston Town Centre Management Board will be strengthened by representatives from every business sector operating in Kingston. Every business will be a member of the company and eligible to vote at Annual General Meetings.

Pulse’s Managing Director, Simon Thornhill’s quote from the executive summary is just one of many endorsements from Kingston’s business leaders:

“It’s not often that a small business like mine would vote for anything that involves an increase in outgoings, but I think the one per cent charge involved could, if spent wisely, make a real improvement to our town centre environment. Most importantly, the money will be ‘ring-fenced’ and can only be spent on things that matter to the business rate payers of Kingston.”

The executive summary will be sent to every business rate payer by the end of May and the full business plan will be available to download from Kingston First’s website at www.kingstonfirst.co.uk from July 2004.