Kingston Council has outlined plans to put culture at the forefront of its development and growth decisions.

A month on from being given £90,000 by City Hall for a music festival as part of the London Borough of Culture awards, the council has set out “Made in Kingston: a Creative and Cultural Strategy”.

Director of communities at Kingston Council, Stephen Evans, said: “The time has never been better to place culture and creativity at the heart of inclusive growth. Kingston’s priority is to ensure the benefits of growth are enjoyed by all communities.

“Here in Kingston we have a rich and diverse culture that can help drive good growth, support livelihoods, families and quality of life.”

Following the growth committee meeting on March 27, plans to make sure Kingston has a large live music venue have been made policy.

There were concerns about the future of Kingston’s live music scene with the Hippodrome set to be lost with the planned development of Surrey House.

But Councillor Jon Tolley, who is heavily involved with the Kingston music scene, revealed to Surrey Comet last month a deal to secure a suitable successor venue is nearly done.

Cllr Tolley, who was not allowed to attend the meeting in person, had a statement read out by leader of the opposition Councillor Liz Green.

Through Cllr Green, he said: “Overall I think a lot of the cultural strategy is to be commended and supported. There’s certainly very little that could be disagreed with, and some of it is near poetry.”

Part of the strategy will involve rethinking how to make best use of the borough’s existing venues, to “develop the borough’s live music offer and build on Kingston’s rich music heritage”.

Cllr Tolley said: “In times of financial pressures and a struggle for space, it is imperative that the existing spaces we have in the borough are opened up for alternative uses.”

The council will set up a working group from its licensing, planning, culture and regeneration departments to work out how culture can be better integrated into council decision-making, and ensure “cultural infrastructure” like the large venue can be delivered.

This group will also collaborate with Sadiq Khan’s team that works to support London’s night-time economy to help protect music venues.