A new workspace and enterprise hub, designed to give local people the support they need to start and grow businesses, has opened in Kingston. 

Located on the ground floor of the John Lewis building on Kingston riverside, Town Square Kingston, is expected to help create at least 500 new jobs and boost the local economy by providing people with a closer-to-home place to work, and by fostering a supportive startup community. 

Coworking and small business experts, Town Square Spaces Ltd (TownSq) will operate the hub on behalf of Kingston Council and recently unveiled the new space alongside its vision for supporting local enterprise. 

The modern workspace will have five small and medium offices, a coworking space for up to 60 people, meeting rooms and an on-site cafe. The space will also offer its members access to one-to-one support, mentoring and business workshops.

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.

“For us, a workspace is not just a place to work, but a place to work together. We find that when people from different backgrounds, businesses and industries share the same space there is a natural networking and sharing of experience that can lead to some incredible collaborations.

“As a freelancer or startup, there is nothing like having the opportunity to turn to your left and get advice from someone who has been running their own enterprise for years and already solved the very challenge you are facing – it can be a game changer.

“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 is at the heart of Kingston’s Riverside regeneration delivering a new creative and knowledge quarter on Kingston’s riverside, including Fusebox, a new cultural space, managed and led by Kingston’s homegrown youth arts charity, Creative Youth.

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.”

Town Square Kingston has been supported and delivered in partnership with the BIG South London programme, a South London-wide drive to unlock knowledge-based economic growth in the area and has received from the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund,

To learn more about TownSq Kingston, or to book a tour, you can visit the space or email ryan@townsq.co.uk or head to www.townsqkingston.co.uk