Patron Perspectives 2024/25 | A Brief Journey Into Space – Via Kingston

This blog series brings together sector reflections from our Patron network – leaders who play an active role in shaping Kingston’s economy and supporting its business community.

Each piece was first published in our 2024/25 Impact Report, where we asked: what’s changed over the past year – and what’s likely to shape what’s next?

The result is a collection of expert, actionable editorials. Throughout this series you’ll find perspectives on housing, education, digital experience professional services and more, reflecting the challenges and opportunities shaping Kingston’s economy.

Anybody that reads the news will be aware of housing pressures – increased demand, increasing rents, under supply, and growth in temporary accommodation – and all the social ills it brings. Less known, except by business people, is how difficult it can be to find the right kind of space in the right place at the right price on the right terms. Responding to these needs in a physically constrained location like Kingston can be complex.

Despite our online world, much of business still has to happen somewhere tangible that isn’t a garden office or spare room: an office, high street, studio, warehouse or workshop. The concentration of businesses on industrial estates, business parks, town centres and next to stations might not always be glamorous, but their role is not just vital for the provision of services and employment: they supply other businesses and provide for the socioeconomic core of our communities.

Planning for growth brings competing demands and trade-offs. Online spending accounts for over 26% of all retail,1 and the borough’s population is projected to grow by 12% by 2043. All those people need somewhere to live and work, to be able to source goods and services, and their online orders need to sit somewhere before the ‘last mile’ delivery happens.

EMPLOYMENT LAND REVIEW

Kingston’s recent Employment Land Review highlighted the need for almost 60,000 square metres of new industrial and office space by 2041. This is a lot in Kingston terms – despite being about one-twentieth of the 1.2 million square metres of office space the City of London alone is aiming for by 2040. Still, the constraints of the Kingston context means building upwards or outwards is far from easy. The climate crisis has a significant impact here too: under strengthened Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) ratings rules, up to 74% of the borough’s business premises could become unlettable without significant investment – driving growth for ‘retrofit’ businesses perhaps, but also fuelling rent rises if stock is lost.

WHERE IS THE SPACE?

So, if we need more homes, or newer workspaces, where do they all go? Across London, many industrial sites are vulnerable to conversion to residential use due to the premium that this can bring. London has lost 5.7 million square feet of warehouse space to other uses since 2011.2 Commercial space in areas with less policy protection are most vulnerable. Similarly, residential values in places like Kingston mean developers are more likely to invest in homes than commercial space. The paradox here is that each additional new home needs 69 square feet of warehouse space to support it, 3 and around 70% of current Kingston residents are in office-focused jobs. Losing one use to provide the other can solve one problem but a new one.

One well-promoted solution to the competing demands is co-location – essentially squeezing residential and commercial uses into the same site – sometimes referred to as ‘beds on sheds’. While successful schemes do exist in London, practical problems of cohabitation (such as access and noise) can make for unhappy bed-partners.

Homes and workspace aside, communities need schools, medical centres, parks and more, all while protecting and enhancing our heritage and natural environment. That’s the role of the Local Plan – the strategic spatial development plan for the borough. Kingston Council is currently updating its Local Plan with a view to adoption in 2027.

SUMMARY

Despite the challenges, locations such as the Cox Lane Industrial Estate and Metroplex Park in Red Lion Road are seeing major investment in future-facing facilities. This is as well as the recent additions of new HQs for Lidl and Unilever. In Kingston, and similar boroughs, while the Local Plan has a vital role, the trade-offs will likely continue to play out on a site-by-site basis, balancing whatever opportunities come forward with the more immediate needs of residents and businesses, while responding to a fluid economic context.

Not rocket science, perhaps, but an unenviable role for councils.

Comments or suggestions? e: [email protected].

Sources

1 ONS: https://www.ons.gov.uk/businessindustryandtrade/retailindustry/timeseries/j4mc/drsi

2 https://www.savills.co.uk/research_articles/229130/329623-0

3 British Property Federation https://bpf.org.uk/media/3838/bpf-what-warehousing-where-report.pdf

The Royal Borough of Kingston Council is recognised for working collaboratively with communities to agree priorities and deliver the services that matter most to residents. The borough’s distinctive character and strong sense of community continue to shape its quality of life and appeal. Long established as a destination of choice, Kingston remains a place where things happen—welcoming residents, visitors, businesses and government alike to invest, participate and contribute to its vibrant future.

Find more information at https://www.kingston.gov.uk/.