Since work began in late September 2020, a street in the town centre of Poole has been completely transformed into the new Kingland shopping area. Units along Kingland Crescent were stripped out before being refitted with new interiors while the exteriors have been similarly refreshed with a new coat of paint.
The boutique shopping area forms part of a more extensive redevelopment scheme. Backed by Legal & General, a £26 million investment is being made to give central Poole a new lease of life. The progression of the redevelopment programme points towards Poole’s strong shopping sector, particularly as we have seen so many high streets struggling as pandemic-related lockdown restrictions were brought in to curb the spread of the virus.
Bringing new Startups to Poole
To ensure that the Kingland shopping area is as diverse and engaging as possible, selected start-ups are being offered free business rates and rent reductions for 24 months. The core mission here is to ensure that people have the opportunity to visit well-designed places. Legal & General has said it is delighted to be opening a boutique street in the historic town and is particularly eager to celebrate local creators and businesses.
Holly Newton is a creative director based in Dorset and is tasked with curating the Kingland boutique area to ensure it delivers the experience shoppers are looking for. Newton has said that despite a plethora of bad news stories hitting the media in relation to the state of the UK’s high streets, the Kingland project has received countless applications from businesses keen to occupy one of the available retail spaces.
“There’s no reason why our high streets have to look so sad”, she told the Bournemouth Echo. “Dorset has enough brilliant entrepreneurial companies to fill the town centre ten times over, and Kingland is an opportunity to showcase a selection of the very best the county has to offer.”
Looking To The Future
The Council and Legal & General have no plans to stop here, noting that this is just the first of a series of local projects to go ahead. The long-term plan is to provide fledgling businesses with the opportunity to grow and flourish, which will make the centre of Poole a destination for both local residents and visitors alike.
Although it is as yet unclear when additional developments will begin, plans include a new nine screen cinema complex, a potential new swimming pool, and remodelling to reduce traffic congestion and promote pedestrianised areas.
The rest of the Dolphin Shopping Centre will also be refreshed internally and, crucially, a selection of new retailers has already been announced. Importantly, the wider infrastructure has also been considered and investment has been set aside for major improvements to take place to all town centre car parks.
The majority of sites involved in the development program have already been granted all relevant planning and development permissions, which is encouraging news. This cross-party effort is primed to secure the continued development of Poole and the surrounding areas, ensuring it is an attractive destination to live, work and visit.
Very positive news to be coming out of Poole in these troubling times.
