Sutton town centre regeneration under way

6:20pm Wednesday 23rd July 2008

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Benches, flower pots and cars will be removed from Sutton town as part of the council’s de-cluttering process.

The regeneration of the area – which aims to put the town among Europe’s elite – began on Monday.

“Sutton Town Centre is the borough’s shop window and this exciting project promises to make it one of London’s best retail and entertainment destinations."

Councillor Lyn Gleeson

The council plans to create a continental-style boulevard in the centre of the town to inject new life into the heart of the borough.

Part of the process will see the giant plant pots outside the St Nicholas Centre removed as the council say they are mainly being used as ashtrays.

Bollards and concrete planters will also be stripped away, along with redundant furniture such as benches.

Road signs will also be rendered useless and ripped out as the council plans to ban traffic from the centre of the town.

Beginning at the end of the month, only delivery vehicles will be allowed into the town centre between 8pm and 10pm in the evening.

The redesign of the borough’s centre is already underway, and the council have drafted in designers who worked on London’s Southbank.

Work will begin in the new year aiming to give more space to pedestrians and cyclists while promoting sustainable travel, and improving facilities for markets and street events.

Emily Fahey, Sutton town centre manager believes the removal of separate cycle lanes will create a better environment for everyone.

She said: “All the evidence we have seen from Europe shows that pedestrians and cyclists are safer when they share the town centre space.”

Coun Lyn Gleeson, executive member for planning, regeneration and economic development, said: “Sutton Town Centre is the borough’s shop window and this exciting project promises to make it one of London’s best retail and entertainment destinations.

“To do that we need to put the right infrastructure in place and the initial de-cluttering work will pave the way for the new programme in the New Year.

“Once the design proposals have been drawn up, we will be consulting further with businesses and residents to ensure we create the Sutton town centre that people will really want to visit and spend more time and money in. I hope as many people as possible take part in this consultation.”