I was delighted that Zac Goldsmith used his trip to Wimbledon yesterday to announce his plans to give Wimbledon Town Centre a £1 million share of his £20 million Town Centre Fund, if he is elected in May.
This will help fund the Wimbledon masterplan, to ensure that Crossrail 2 provides an opportunity to redevelop our town centre. Wimbledon Town Centre comprises over half of Merton’s jobs, and Iam keen to see more high-quality business premises to help Wimbledon become a tech-suburb.
I will continue to work with the Council to ensure that residents’ voices are heard and that their vision for Wimbledon, on which I campaigned in the General Election, becomes a reality.
Key to making sure Crossrail 2 works for Wimbledon is the phasing of construction, making sure that new premises for shops and businesses are built before the construction of Crossrail 2 begins.
Crossrail 2 should present their latest proposals in the Summer, which I will scrutinise carefully. I will hold another public meeting when this happens, making sure residents are well informed of the next consultation. Given the strength of feeling from residents, I am confident they will be a marked improvement on the current plans.