Plans to improve Richmond town centre are moving ahead, after a councillor warned "standing still is not an option".

Richmond Council has agreed to proceed with £1.5million plans to deliver four key projects to launch its new vision for Richmond town centre.

Lib Dem councillor Katie Mansfield said the town centre was the heart of the borough, but faced the same challenges as those across the country.

She said: "People's expectations and shopping habits have changed and our town centre must adapt if it's going to thrive in future. Standing still is not an option."

Councillor Mansfield said the vision would help it remain "vibrant, distinctive and successful for years to come" at a finance committee meeting on June 22.

The plans include turning Whittaker Square and Avenue, in the heart of the town centre, into a thriving public space hosting small-scale public events, markets and performances, which it expects to cost £250,000.

The council plans to install seating and plants and take back some parking space as part of the proposals, which it said would address "the current lack of a 'town square' destination".

The authority has also set aside £150,000 for a children's play area on Little Green to address the lack of such facilities in the town centre and make it more welcoming for families.

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The council has budgeted another £220,000 to improve navigation across the town centre and riverside, including new and improved signs, totems, information boards and local trails.

It is proposing to transform George Street into a pedestrian-friendly "standout area", with potential options including extra seating and greenery.

It has set aside £200,000 for detailed modelling to finalise these proposals, which would cost more to deliver if they went ahead.

The council's finance committee agreed to take forward the four priority projects in the vision for further development and delivery on June 22.

Residents expressed support for the overall vision, but raised some concerns about the suitability of specific proposals.

Pam Fleming, from the Richmond Society, called on the authority to include proposals for better community policing and public toilets in the vision.

Vivien Harris, chair of Friends of Richmond Green, objected to the planned play area on Little Green, as she said locals did not want to see the character of the open space changed.

She suggested the authority look at installing a play area in an empty unit instead.

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Councillors said the authority would carry out more work, detailed costings and extensive consultation on the proposals before any delivery.

It has a total budget of £1.5million to deliver the projects but expects they would cost more overall, once the proposed improvements for George Street have been finalised. This means it would need further funding to carry out the full works.

The authority expects to carry out the works by 2028, if they go ahead in full.

The wider vision for the town centre includes other projects which could be delivered over the medium to long term, although they do not have current funding.

These projects include regular pedestrianisation of the high street and other streets for events, reducing Duke Lane to a single lane for vehicles, removing parking from King Street and turning Old Palace Lane into a pocket park.

The vision also sets out proposals to introduce floating features on the River Thames, including gardens and arts spaces, improve Richmond Green, turn Richmond Lending Library into a youth hub, tackle empty shops and upgrade the space outside Richmond Station.

Officers are set to ask for funding at future committees to deliver projects in the wider vision, as more resources become available.

Nazeya Hussain, executive director of growth and place, said the vision aimed "to ensure we are still moving forward by not sitting on our laurels, but incrementally improving the public realm and ensuring the vibrancy of our town centre into the future".

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