Kingston Council has opened a new workspace and enterprise hub in partnership with co-working and small business experts, Town Square Spaces Ltd (TownSq).
Town Square Kingston is designed to give local people the support they need to start and grow businesses. It is at the heart of Kingston’s Riverside regeneration, delivering a creative and innovative hub that looks to retain talent in the borough.
Building on the success of Fusebox, which opened in 2023 and is led by Kingston-based charity Creative Youth, both projects have delivered on the exciting opportunity to regenerate underutilised areas and create skills development opportunities to keep talent in Kingston.
Located on the ground floor of the John Lewis building on Kingston’s riverside, Town Square Kingston is expected to help create at least 500 new jobs and boost the local economy by providing a closer-to-home place to work and fostering a supportive startup community.
The modern workspace will have five small and medium offices, a co-working space for up to 60 people, meeting rooms and an on-site cafe run by staff from nearby Kingston-based coffee cart Argonaut Coffee. The space will also offer its members access to one-to-one support, mentoring and business workshops. It has been furnished using second-life furniture, which has been proven to reduce carbon emissions by 80 per cent, helping the council achieve its carbon net-zero targets.
Cllr Andreas Kirsch, leader of Kingston Council, said: “We are proud to have been able to bring this underused space back to life and look forward to encouraging the growth of local Kingston businesses and seeing them flourish through this innovative new workspace.
“We want to make it as easy as possible for businesses to create high-quality opportunities for those who live, work, or study in our borough. This project is an important part of our vision to create a fairer and more inclusive economy in Kingston.”
TownSq’s Hub manager for Kingston, Ryan Gough said: “We’ve already had a lot of interest from local freelancers and small businesses looking for affordable workspace so we’re delighted to open our doors for the first time.
“I’d encourage anyone with an idea or a desire to start their own business to come and take a look at our space. We can offer support to anyone in the early stages of their business; from the teams looking to collaborate with others, to the individual with a promising idea who can’t quite quit their day job yet – we can help.“
Town Square Kingston, a project of significant importance, has been made possible through the support and partnership of the BIG South London programme. This South London-wide initiative, aimed at unlocking knowledge-based economic growth, has received crucial funding from the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
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