Introduction
We’re proud of Morden: as a place and as a community.
Morden offers the best of both worlds. It’s a quiet, safe and green town centre but super-connected into the very heart of the city.
Morden is a place defined by its strong communities, growing business networks and beautiful green spaces. It is the civic heart of our borough.
It also has huge untapped potential for the benefit of residents - current and future – to create a more modern, attractive, vibrant and diverse town centre. We want Morden residents and businesses to be even prouder to call it their home and create a town centre which works for everyone.
That’s why Merton Council is Remaking Morden as part of our key priority to Build a Sustainable Future for our borough.
Our vision for change is broad and exciting, and it will make Morden fit for the future while respecting its character, spirit and heritage.
Meanwhile Action Plan
The Council has developed a Meanwhile Action Plan aimed at brightening and refreshing Morden Town Centre in the short-medium term. The Action Plan outlines the following strategic objectives:
- Events, activities and programmes – a series of events that nurture civic pride and build new and exciting partnerships.
- Culture and wayfinding trail – an opportunity to tap into Morden’s rich and diverse history through public art.
- Localised Interventions – a range of activities and installations that create unique moments and brighten up areas of the town centre, encouraging residents and visitors to stop, pause and enjoy.
- Greening strategy – to create more planting and greenery in Morden to improve biodiversity and build a more sustainable future.
Image of meanwhile use projects
The Meanwhile Action Plan is a document that identifies potential improvements that will brighten and enliven Morden town centre for residents, visitors and businesses. The potential improvements can range from; seating and public space solutions; art and murals; and planting and greenery to enhance the ambience of Morden town centre in the short term.
Morden Meanwhile Action Plan Report
Image of potential public space improvements for Abbotsbury Road
Community workshops
In Summer 2024, we brought together residents and businesses for a series of workshops and conversations to find out how, together, we best invest £300,000 to brighten and refresh Morden town centre.
Timeline of community workshops in summer 2024
The workshops with the community were used to:
- find out what they like about Morden town centre and what doesn't work for them so we understand exactly what improvements they would like to see;
- help us design some of the street furniture and other public space improvements; and
- find out where they want to hang out and what underused public spaces can be brought into use for their benefit
Making improvements
Over the coming months we will be continuing to deliver new and exciting proposals that will brighten and enliven Morden town centre. We will be working with partners and stakeholders to deliver meaningful interventions that will help us Build a Better Merton together.
We want people to feel proud to live, work and visit Merton – rebuilding a sense of pride from the ground up through cleaner streets, more affordable housing, improved town centres and opportunities to be involved in this great sporting borough.
Updates
We are investing £300,000 to brighten and refresh Morden town centre in 2024-26. You will notice improvements to our streets and public places that have been informed by our consultation and workshops with the Morden community.
London Festival of Architecture
Morden Moments: A New Design Competition for Morden Town Centre - London Festival of Architecture
Building upon the conclusions of the Meanwhile Action plan we are working with the London Festival of Architecture (LFA) to deliver a design competition to improve three key areas of Morden town centre.
As an organisation the London Festival of Architecture champion less heard and emerging designers and have an extensive network and reach within the built environment profession.
The competition will welcome submissions that create unique moments within Morden town centre and embed community-led placemaking principles and nurture civic pride.
These proposals will transform and create spaces for residents and visitors to stop, dwell and enjoy within the town centre. The competition structure will require submissions to nurture and build new and exciting collaborations with residents, businesses and other local stakeholders.
Aerial view of Morden with three sites identified within the competition brief with pink circles; Station Yard, Abbotsbrury Road and Abbotsbury Circus.
We Are Merton – marking Merton’s 60th Anniversary
During the engagement with residents and businesses Abbotsbury Road was identified as an opportunity area to host a range of community focused events and activities. As part of Merton 60, our borough’s birthday celebrations, we will be closing Abbotsbury Road to vehicle traffic and hosting another street party. The event will feature a live DJ, dancers, market traders and a host of children's activities such as face painting and a bouncy castle. As part of the event, we will also be delivering:
- Shopfront shutter artwork – in collaboration with businesses we will be painting a selection of shopfronts on Abbotsbury Road.
- Roundabout public art – the sculpture on the roundabout on London Road is being refurbished
- Market infrastructure – a new power point will provide electricity for events
Town centre management
Photograph of Azra Mukadam, Morden Town Centre Manager
I’m Azra Mukadam, the new town centre manager for Morden. I’ve joined from Runnymede Borough Council where I oversaw three town centres.
I’m excited about my new role which is focused on listening to and engaging with local businesses, acting as their voice in the council, and addressing their concerns and aspirations. I hope that together, we’ll work on improvements as the council moves forward with its longer-term plans for Morden.
While my focus is on businesses, I’ll also be engaging with local stakeholders such as community groups, faith organisations, and schools and colleges, particularly on their needs within the town centre. Collaboration is key to understanding how we can improve things together.
More of Azra’s interview can be found in the iNMerton Spring 2025 edition.
Street festival on Abbotsbury Road
In September 2024, we held a street festival on Abbotsbury Road in Morden for World Car Free Day.
We closed the street to vehicles to create a space for lots of fun activities and entertainment for the whole family throughout the day from Salsa classes and smoothie bikes, to planting, painting and games!
Photographs of workshop and activities at World Car Free Day
On the day, we ran the final Morden community workshop to gather feedback and ideas from visitors on how they wanted to refresh and brighten Morden town centre. As part of the engagement, we delivered a series of prototype interventions to trial potential further improvements in the town centre:
- Shopfront Shutter Painting
- New seating and planter – supported by Sustainable Merton
- Refurbishment of the parklet
- Community Noticeboard
Photographs of prototypes delivered at World Car Free Day
Making changes longer term
Longer term, we will breathe new life into Morden town centre with a development and housing delivery plan that will realise the full potential of the area: with a bustling high street and local economy, places where children can play, and families can gather, where arts and culture can flourish and with clean air and green streets.
At the heart of Morden, we want to establish a ‘Healthy Streets’ vision Healthy Streets - Transport for London (tfl.gov.uk) and create new public spaces.
We will work with the community to create a confident, revived neighbourhood with a stronger local identity. A neighbourhood for everyone - those who have called Morden home for decades, or years or even months.
We’re planning to build the homes we know are desperately needed, creating a brand-new neighbourhood - diverse and vibrant - building on the best that Morden has to offer and providing options for people to stay living close to where they grew up.
Better and more affordable housing is better for everyone. It creates safer neighbourhoods, brings people together and provides opportunities. It is right and it is fair.
Artist's impression of Morden town centre
Merton’s Local Plan, which was adopted in November 2024, now identifies Morden town centre to be within a development ‘Opportunity Area’ and includes the ‘Morden Regeneration Zone’ as a site allocated for development (Mo1) – see map below.
Plan showing Morden Town Centre Regeneration Zone (Site Mo1) identified in Merton’s Local Plan
Contact us
Regeneration and Economy
Merton Civic Centre
London Road
Morden
SM4 5DX
Telephone: 020 4605 3837
Email: more.morden@merton.gov.uk