SPOTLIGHT ON UBRIDGE ENHANCING UXBRIDGE TOWN CENTRE

During the past 20 years, major town centres across the country have faced many challenges, including the rise of online shopping and large high street brands going into administration. This has led to the decline of some high streets, which no longer meet the needs of their communities.

Hillingdon Council is committed to delivering improvements to town centres across the borough to ensure they thrive, are accessible and provide facilities that meet the needs of businesses, residents and visitors.

Uxbridge, as Hillingdon’s civic hub, plays a leading role in ensuring the sustainability of the borough’s town centres as vibrant and thriving places for the future.

To achieve this, the council has codesigned a vision with residents, businesses and other stakeholders which, following an extensive public consultation, saw 73 per cent of respondents support the proposed plans and aims, and was formally adopted as the Uxbridge Town Centre Vision in July.

The document sets out plans to further enhance the area by strengthening the local economy, better serving residents and improving public spaces.

The vision’s four key themes

• Public realm improvement –improving and creating new public spaces to encourage visitors and support businesses.

• Diversification of activities –a wider variety of retail, hospitality and leisure offers, collaborative workspaces and exhibitions bringing new organisations to the town centre.

• Better linksimproving connections for walking, cycling and public transport, and increasing access to green spaces and the canal from the town centre.

• More town centre living –more opportunities to live in the town centre by providing a mix of high quality housing options.

Bringing the vision to life

Now it’s been formally adopted, attention has quickly turned to delivering projects, with the council assigning £315,000 of its £1.1 million UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) allocation towards a number of initiatives.

Work has begun with stakeholder engagement and drawing up detailed designs on several projects aimed at improving public spaces and facilities.

These include transforming the Civic Centre forecourt as a space for public use, markets and events, and redesigning St Andrew’s roundabout to enhance access between Dowding Park and the town centre.

To build on the successful GROWTH Hillingdon programme, the council is also exploring the creation of a Business Innovation Hub to support small and medium-sized businesses build resilience and grow in partnership with Hillingdon Chamber of Commerce.

Detailed designs, project plans and funding proposals will be developed for other medium and long-term proposals outlined in the vision.

Cllr Steve Tuckwell, Cabinet Member for Planning, Housing and Growth, said: “Uxbridge Vision sets out our ambitious plans to make the town centre an even better place to live, work, study and do business, ensuring it continues to thrive long into the future.

“Feedback from residents and businesses throughout the process has been vital in helping us ensure the priorities of local people remain at the forefront.

“We’re also working proactively to bid for funds and attract investment for our other town centres that support our emerging regeneration plans and create meaningful long-term improvements in the right places. This year’s UKSPF allocation will allow us to launch some of the exciting projects in the vision. Watch this space.”

Driving local growth and regeneration

Hillingdon’s allocation of £1.1 million UKSPF funding for 2025/26 will deliver projects that support residents into work, help local businesses grow, and make improvements to town centres, including:

• £665,656 to help deliver high street regeneration, including the Uxbridge Vision, the enhancement of Hayes town centre, and extension of the boroughwide shopfront improvement grant.

• £281,253 to deliver local business support programmes, including 135 SMEs to innovate and grow, and for 50 suppliers to learn how to be ready for major for procurement contracts

• £160,000 to deliver employability skills, helping 139 residents to find work opportunities.

Find out more about UKSPF at www.hillingdon.gov.uk/UKSPF

Investing in Hayes

Alongside making improvements to Uxbridge, the council is also committed to investing in growth and regeneration in Hayes.

In July, Hayes became one of 12 London boroughs to successfully secure £50,000 funding from the Mayor of London’s High Street Place Labs initiative, following a council bid.

The funding will allow the council to develop a strategic framework for Hayes which will set out how the public realm, infrastructure and amenities will be improved, and how the council will ensure any future development is aligned to the vision for the town centre.

The scheme is designed to help town centres attract investment, improve public spaces, and boost the local economy.

The funding will allow the council to develop a strategic framework for Hayes which will set out how the public realm, infrastructure and amenities will be improved, and how the council will ensure any future development is aligned to the vision for the town centre.