The Future for Town Centres: Death or Evolution?

An interactive one day conference hosted by Kingston University in conjunction with South London Partnership.

Town centres are facing enormous challenges: shop and office closures, leaving significant gaps in the high street and reduced local revenue. Charity shops and restaurants have taken some slack but many places are struggling. This is not a product of the recession; internet shopping is a structural change and social habits are unlikely to revert. Offices have polarised into the larger/ mega centres and the only solution so far for unwanted space has been to create residential dormitory areas with associated increased commuting. The paradigm of the town centre as a multi-activity hub appears to be under threat.

These changes are not consistent with the desire for sustainable communities and self-sufficiency of local areas based on thriving diverse economies, social inter-actions and reduction of environmental impacts.

This one day inter-active conference brings together a range of policy makers, investors and developers and local commercial and other stakeholders to explore these emerging key questions:

¢ Where is property demand going to come from?

¢ What IS the role of the town centre? Economic or civic or social?

¢ Beyond food and drink- will creative industries be the way forward?

¢ How should we fund less successful centres?

¢ Stimulating developer activity: what should planners do?

¢ What is the role of local businesses?

¢ Community/civic engagement - will it work?

The day is structure around key speaker presentations, participant workshops and a final panel session.

Confirmed Speakers include:

• Jon Rouse, Chief Executive Croydon Borough Council
• Joanna Rowelle, Assistant Director Capital Projects & Design
• Gordon Reid, Regional Chair Town Centre Managers, South-East
• Rob Harris & Sandra Jones, Ramidus
• Professor Laura Vaughan, UCL
• Alex Philips Development Executive Cathedral Developments
• Ros Morgan, Chief Executive Kingston First
• Dr. Noha Nasser, University of Greenwich and independent consultant

Cost: £45 full price