NLA Awards Shortlist for County Hall Kingston
- Category: News
- Date Published: 17th September 2026
We’re delighted to announce that County Hall Kingston has been shortlisted for the NLA Awards 2026 in the Retrofit – Unbuilt category. The recognition celebrates the ambitious transformation of the Grade II* listed former Surrey County Hall, bringing one of Kingston’s most significant civic landmarks back into use and securing its long-term future.
Originally developed over several phases from the late nineteenth century onwards, County Hall is a substantial and complex collection of buildings that has played an important role in Kingston’s civic history. Our proposals for London Square reimagine the redundant site as a residential-led mixed-use development, providing 292 private and affordable homes alongside new community uses and enhanced public realm. The scheme seeks to retain the character and significance of the Grade II* listed County Hall while integrating new elements into the existing fabric, opening up the site and creating stronger connections with the surrounding town centre.
At the heart of the project is the retention, restoration and adaptive reuse of over 80% of the historic fabric. The original County Hall buildings, including their distinctive façades and significant civic spaces, are being carefully repaired and repurposed. Later interventions of lesser significance are removed where appropriate, allowing the historic architecture to be revealed and the relationship between the different parts of the complex to be strengthened.
Alongside the restored buildings, carefully considered new additions complete the composition of the site. Their scale, form and materiality respond to the character of County Hall while establishing a transition between the civic scale of the historic buildings and the finer residential grain of the surrounding neighbourhood.
www.avr.london
www.avr.london
The transformation also opens up a site that for much of its history has been inward-looking and largely inaccessible. New pedestrian and cycle routes create connections through the development, while areas previously dominated by car parking are transformed into landscaped courtyards, gardens and new public spaces. Together, these interventions establish a more open and connected setting for the listed buildings and allow County Hall to become part of the everyday life of the surrounding neighbourhood.
The NLA shortlist is a fantastic recognition of the collaborative work involved in giving this important civic landmark a new chapter. Through retention, adaptation and carefully judged new interventions, the project seeks to preserve the architectural character and history of County Hall while creating a sustainable and enduring future for the site.
