September 15, 1989

Kingston’s last area of riverside open space was under threat from developers, but a campaign to save it had other ideas.

Opposition parties united to fight the plan to abandon the piazza at the back of the Ram pub in High Street.

Originally conceived as Kingston’s answer to Covent Garden, the square was the last surviving piece of open land between Queen’s Promenade and Canbury Gardens in the north.

The week before, the Conservative majority on Kingston Council’s policy and resources committee decided to sell the land for development, despite strong opposition from Liberal Democrats and Labour.

Money raised from the sale of the land would have funded a new 550-seat theatre, at an estimated cost of £6.1m, in the nearby Charter Quay development.

Councillor Mark Welling told residents: “This piece of land could be landscaped well, and become a really attractive piazza.

“Building on the site would certainly spoil the area.”

Ken Simmons, a Queen’s Reach resident, said he opposed the destruction of the last square to “sit and watch the boats go by”.

He said: “Is this little haven truly in excess of our requirements? This is a jolly nice, restful place for people to sit.”

Labour leader Councillor Robin Hutchinson said the plans showed “an appalling lack of vision with a cavalier attitude to the wishes of local residents”.

Shop owners opposite the piazza were concerned about the consequences of the proposed development, and launched a petition against building plans.

Suzie Last, from Additions, said: “If it was to be an art gallery it would be lovely, but it is going to be an office block and that would block out light completely.”

Amanda Campbell-Gold, from Gold and Fox, said: “We were originally promised a mini Covent Garden, but we’ve given up with promises now.”

50 YEARS AGO

September 16, 1964
A series of Dr Thorndyke short stories was being presented by BBC television and the first called for shots at a zoo. Scenes were taken at Chessington, with Patrick Troughton and Paul Curran as two of the leading characters.

25 YEARS AGO

September 15, 1989
An Aids scare sealed off part of Kingston town centre after bloody syringes were found in a council car park. A woman shopper reported finding two used syringes in Cattle Market car park stairwell and 
police were called. It was thought the syringes were used by drug 
addicts.

10 YEARS AGO

 September 15, 2004
A Kingston building society teamed up with one of the Arab world’s biggest banking corporations to offer a mortgage compliant with Islamic law for Muslim customers. Bristol and West and the Arab Banking Corporation offered finance schemes based on principles that prohibited the charging and giving of interest.

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