By Megan Stanley

Residents fear for the future of a Hounslow shopping centre ahead of developers revealing their plans for the site.

Locals have pleaded with developers to leave the Treaty Centre alone for fear there will be no shopping opportunities in the borough if it's knocked down.

In 2021, BYM Capital secured £31m to redevelop the Treaty Centre which is the central hub of Hounslow. The shopping centre first opened in 1896 and was refurbished in 2014, then again in 2017.

Around 10 million shoppers visit the centre each year, making the most of the shops and big food court. Inside there are 51 shops, including popular stores like Wilko, Next, H&M and Poundland.

One year after developers secured the shopping centre, locals have now begun to fear that it will be bulldozed for flats. Resident Chris Durkin spoke to locals on Thursday, November 10, about his concerns for the future of the town.

He said: "The Treaty Centre is extremely important, this is the heart of Hounslow and the latest news we've heard is that the Treaty Centre is going to be demolished and rebuilt. You can understand as a forum we are extremely concerned about this because this is our town centre."

BYM Capital has not yet revealed its plans for the centre, but online they write: "The Centre provides for an interesting opportunity for possible re-purpose and BYM will be exploring these avenues."

Mr Durkin, who is also the Director of the Hounslow Chamber of Commerce, spoke to councillors as a resident at the Central Hounslow Area Forum. He continued: "If we don't preserve the town centre it is going into decline. The town centre is the busiest it's ever been, again, why someone wants to knock down something that is successful I don't understand it. If it's not broken don't fix it as the yanks say.

"This is the only shopping centre in the London Borough of Hounslow, there is nothing else to compete with this. If you take this away we have nothing.

"This building is only 35 years old and it is perfectly good as it is and we don't know why it needs to be knocked down and started with again. This is extremely worrying and they are going to take away most of the shops. We know very little at the moment and we need to know, we need consultation."

Concerns were also raised about the back of the shopping centre, which faces the main road and shows visitors of Hounslow the loading area, rather than the shops on offer. Mr Durkin said: "If we need something to be done, we need the shops to be shown on the other side of it

"People drive through there and say 'why would I go to Hounslow?' so something needs to be done. I'm not against the council, and I know you are trying to do your very best for us."

Councillor Tom Bruce, the cabinet member for regeneration and development, said: "We are clear as a council that what we want is a continuation of the retail element [for the Treaty Centre] absolutely clear. That is what all our documents going forward say.

"That does not exclude housing on the site but it is very clear that retail is a very important aspect. Hounslow High Street is busy all the time which is really fantastic thing considering our current climate.

"Getting rid of the Treaty Centre is not in the interest of me as a resident or as the council as a whole. The Treaty Centre developers, whatever proposal they come up with, will need to engage and we urge residents to engage with them about things you like and things you don't like."