Kingston offers a combination of office space and low-density housing with some green spaces -Richmond Park is immediately adjacent to this area. Although most of the terraced houses date from the late-19th and early-20th century, there are some earlier Georgian examples towards the northeast. On the contrary, the south west of East Kingston has been recently redeveloped and is home to some mid-rise housing and commercial venues. East Kingston is diagonally traversed by Acre Road and Elm Road. Along this axis, we find most of the community buildings. The area offers a wide variety of religious facilities. A mosque shares the same block with a 19th-century church. There are also several educational institutions such as a primary school and a community school together with more recent housing estates as well as open green space. Towards the East, between Park road and Queen’s road, we find another school and two religious institutions: a Greek Orthodox church and Saint Paul’s Church. East Kingston is a widely diverse suburban area with multiple faith and education facilities.

Thanks to its proximity to Richmond and the town centre in Kingston Upon Thames, East Kingston was developed as an outer London suburb in the 19th century. A rich tapestry of Edwardian and Victorian houses remains from this period. In the second half of the 20th century, some modernist housing estates were built. However, these are mid and low-rise fitting within the landscape. In the last two decades, the area has become more culturally and ethnically diverse because of its proximity to London.

In the first decades of the 20th century, two aeronautic companies chose Canbury Park road, south-west, to build their facilities. These are now listed buildings because of their relevance in the design and prototyping of war aircrafts. One of these, the Sopwith Aviation Company, opened in a closed roller skating rink. The founder, Sir Thomas Sopwith, was an aviation pioneer and taught himself how to fly a monoplane at age 22.

No other site in England has seen the design of so many war aircraft as the former Sopwith Aviation Company Factory in Canbury Park. This is probably the oldest purpose-built aeroplane factory in England dating back to 1913- 1914. The Snipe (1918) and the Sopwith Camel (1916-1917), two First World War planes, were designed here. During the Second World War, the Hurricane, Henley and Hotspur were also conceived and prototyped in these premises. Although these planes were vital in the Battle of Britain (1940), they have been shadowed in popular memory by the iconic Supermarine Spitfire.

On the downside, this area can be seen as generic suburbia without major attractions and no particular features. There are no thriving enterprises, and the area is not directly connected to the tube. Although relatively isolated, this area includes numerous faith institutions and it is particularly close to Richmond Park.

Acre Road and Elm Road are seen as one of the central movement routes in the borough. These may increase pedestrian and motorised traffic and create more economic opportunities along these arteries. This could result in the connection of the now disconnected set of shops and pubs. The southwestern areas of East Kingston are included in one of the boroughs key areas of change. The redevelopment of some of the old commercial and industrial venues in this area could see property prices rise.

The biggest confirmed development that will affect the area of Canbury will be the introduction of Crossrail at Kingston station. This will significantly reduce the amount of time it takes residents to get to central London while alleviating congestion on the busy South Western Mainline. However, plans have been on hold since the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic due to budget concerns, with many predicting it will be over a decade until this project is near completion. Aside from this, the local council has committed to build new homes in the coming decades, with the borough’s population expected to rise by 20,000 people by 2030. Part of this new housing stock is expected to come from the demolition of parts of Kingston Hospital to pave way for a building containing 128 apartments that will provide care and communal facilities.