Uncertain fate of Kew Retail Park
An ongoing local debate is what will become of Kew Retail Park. Half of the retail park was sold to the Berkeley Group, with M&S retaining ownership of the other half. The initial plans in 2022 were to build 1,200 new homes, shops and improve public space, but what happened? During the consultations between local people and developers (St George), people called the existing retail park ‘convenient’, ‘a useful amenity’ with ‘good access to large stores’, even citing how important a pharmacy is for nearby residents. One participant even pleaded ‘please do not build tower blocks on this site’. Following the Report Back Presentation, St George has decided that the site will remain a retail investment for now and its future remains unknown.
Kew Retail Park, in Richmond, spans about 10 acres and opened in the late 1990s/early 2000s as a single‑storey “value precinct” featuring large-shed outlets like M&S, Boots, Sports Direct, TK Maxx, Next, Gap and Costa Coffee—all anchored by surface parking . In April 2021, M&S sold roughly half the land (all units except its own) to Berkeley Homes’ St George division for £41 million). M&S retained its existing store and adjacent restaurant space, establishing a split ownership that allowed a joint redevelopment vision while preserving its retail footprint.
By 2022, St George and M&S launched a community-led consultation led by architects JTP, proposing a new mixed-use quarter with up to 1,200 homes (including affordable units), a relocated and upgraded M&S food hall beneath residential blocks, underground parking, cafés, offices, green public spaces, improved pedestrian linkages and play areas.
However, by late 2024 local pressure over scale, traffic, building height, and the need for social housing, compounded with wider planning-system delays, led St George to pause the scheme—to retain the park “as retail investment for the foreseeable future”. In May 2025 the developer confirmed no planning application had even been submitted, keeping the site in limbo. Meanwhile, both owners continue to engage with Richmond’s Local Plan, which still designates the site for major residential-led redevelopment—pending agreement over the scale of the M&S food hall and wider masterplan.
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