Kingston Council has confirmed plans to refurbish the Queen Mary Hall in Norbiton with the help of development partners Countryside.
The hall, on Cambridge Road Estate, is open to the community and is often used for various parties, meetings and events. The refurbishment plans come after a community based survey was carried out in December asking for the public’s feedback.
The executive director of place, Matthew Essex said: “We have worked with residents and hirers of Queen Mary Hall to understand what they would like to use the hall for and how we can make it more accessible, usable and welcoming.
“Now, we look forward to continuing working together to ensure improvements to the venue are lasting.”
Kingston Council have confirmed this refurbishment will be a part of their “Transform Kingston” programme to improve the local area. The programme aims to renew the town centre, create new affordable homes and includes plans for a new leisure centre on the same site as the Kingfisher centre.
Essex said: “From the outset, we wanted the regeneration of the Cambridge Road Estate to benefit the community with modern homes and facilities. The opportunity to refurbish Queen Mary Hall as part of this programme is great news for the area.
“(It will deliver) on the commitments of Kingston Council and Countryside to ensure that high-quality community facilities remain available throughout the work as part of a wider programme delivering much needed affordable homes and creating new jobs and apprenticeship opportunities in the borough.”
Plans for the refurbishment will focus on making the hall more accessible, usable and welcoming to the community. This will include new stairs and lifts for disabled access, an enlarged kitchen area, new heating system and new floors.
Work on the refurbishment is expected to begin later this year.
