Plan to tear down town and rebuild it

Secret papers seen by the Comet have lifted the lid on plans by international property giant Hammerson to rebuild swathes of the town, between the railway station and the Guildhall.

The developer proposes dividing the centre into six new areas, and building two new roads, a department store, covered market and riverside restaurants.

Eden Walk shopping centre and Marks and Spencer would be demolished and replaced with an outdoor shopping arcade, over two floors.

The company, which owns property worth £4billion across Europe, was hired by the council last year to come up with a blueprint for rejuvenating the town centre's shopping facilities.

Kingston recently fell from 12th to 17th in a national league table of shopping destinations.

Hammerson, which was involved in revamping Birmingham and Bristol town centres, believes it can increase retail space in the town by up to 50 per cent.

It also hopes to encourage more boutiques and high-end shops to the town, to balance the current dominance of chain stores.

The ambitious plans, not yet finalised, are being drawn up in consultation with a small group of councillors and planners.

They are expected to be ready by December and would then need to fit into the council's 20-year development strategy, K+20.

If planning permission is granted, the proposals could become reality by 2012.

The historic parts of Kingston, including the Market Place and All Saints Church, would remain untouched, as would the Bentall Centre, Charter Quay and John Lewis.

But most of the rest of the town centre is included in the plan.

In the north, a Kingston Station Gateway would be formed, by diverting traffic round the back of the station to allow pedestrians easy access to the town.

Shoppers would walk into a new Fife Road Quarter, which would include a road running diagonally between Fife Road and Clarence Street, allowing for more shop front space.

The largest section in the town would be the Eden Quarter, which would sit between Eden Street and Clarence Street.

The Eden Walk shopping centre would be demolished and a road built between Clarence Street and Eden Street.

An outdoor arcade would be built on the street, with shops on two levels. The new road would lead to the Ashdown Road post office, which would be used as a community building.

Behind it, on what is currently a car park, a major new department store would rise, increasing the spread of the town centre.

A new civic quarter, including a green square, would be created in land behind the Guildhall and a northern riverfront area developed south of the railway bridge.

The river front would include a pontoon restaurant and a landmark block of flats.

A second gateway to the town would centre around the bus station in Fairfield North and include a covered market, flats and car park.

The council's executive member for transportation and sustainable development Councillor Tricia Bamford, who sits on the Hammerson group, said details were confidential.

She said: "We do need to regenerate in the town centre and look for exciting opportunities to enhance all the existing facilities."

Council leader Councillor Derek Osbourne said the plan was drawn up behind closed doors because Hammerson would need to acquire land, and prices would increase if it was made public.

Conservative leader Councillor Kevin Davis said the plan was innovative but more people should be involved.

Norbiton Labour councillor Steve Mama said: "At the end of the day, we've got to make up our minds whether we want to treat Kingston as a market town, a commercial centre, a centre of a major educational establishment or a prime residential area where you can have good education for your kids in civilised surroundings. The council may pursue all of them and not be successful in any."

A Kingston Council spokesmaan said the future of the town would be driven by the K+20 scheme, which involves businesses, community groups and residents.

The draft K+20 strategy will be published early next year.