ANCIENT MARKET PLACE
We are looking to revitalise the town’s Ancient Market Place to create a year-round cultural and commercial destination that celebrates the area’s unique heritage and character.
The Ancient Market Place is the historic heart of Kingston town centre, and is highly valued by our local communities. It hosts one of London’s oldest street markets, with the first recorded in 1242. The importance of the Market Place has been highlighted by local communities in engagement to support the development of the Kingston Town Centre Vision, adopted in 2023.
On 19 March the Council’s Corporate and Resources Committee approved an Ancient Market Place strategy to bring together Kingston’s historic street market, the Grade II listed Ancient Market House and the surrounding public realm under one management arrangement.
Have your say
We are creating a document, with a list of aspirations for the future of the space, to help us find and select an operator.
We want to know what you like about the street market, Market House and Market Place and what you would like to see improved?
Let us know what you think before 19 May 2024:
- Complete our feedback form at kingstonletstalk.co.uk/regeneration/market-place
- Come and talk to us in the Market Place on:
- Thursday 11 April, 12-2pm and 5-7pm.
- Tuesday 30 April, 12-2pm and 5-7pm.
- Email transformkingston@kingston.gov.uk
- Call the council’s contact centre on 020 8547 5000 and ask for a member of the engagement team to call you back.
We will use your feedback to help put together a brief to find an operator for the space, who we expect to select and appoint by the end of the year. A further report will be presented to the committee outlining the outcome of the selection process before an operator is appointed. The lease would then commence from April 2025 when the current market operator lease expires.
A revitalised Ancient Market Place will create an enhanced and distinctive visitor destination, making the most of the area’s unique heritage and character. A programme of cultural, creative and community activities taking place throughout the year will bring communities together and help increase visitors and trade. As well as trading throughout the day, an enhanced market could also see some twilight and evening opening, boosting both market and town centre trade and creating a welcoming evening environment.
Finding an exciting, longer term use for the Market House that compliments and enhances the rest of the Ancient Market Place is also a key part of the strategy. Apart from a variety of short term and pop up uses, the building has been vacant for the past few years. A new provider could realise the potential of this historic community asset.
The new strategy will also create opportunities for local start ups, support new, local business development and possibilities for training and apprenticeships. It will better address the challenges of climate change through improved energy use, waste reduction, re-use and recycling.