A SMALL shopping parade in Hillingdon has had a major overhaul with the aim of creating a vibrant retail location.

The works at Sutton Court Parade began in the autumn and represent a £460,000 investment by the council. 

The parade has undergone a suite of improvements aimed at encouraging more shoppers in the neighbourhood to reconsider trips to the edge-of-town supermarkets. 

The improvements include new lettering for the parade’s name on the external brick façade, a new central boulevard lined with trees and dual lantern lighting/

There is also new paving and road surfaces, upgrades to street furniture, including bins and cycle stands, while unsightly utility cabinets are now hidden by a screen of plants. 

In the new year, there will be a ‘stop and shop’ parking scheme to encourage quicker turnover, using the parking bays immediately outside the shops.

This will be helped by a new loading bay being created at the end of the parade, off the main highway. 

Other changes include improvements to the junction with Long Lane, to enable better access for shoppers, suppliers and visitors to nearby Oak Farm Library. 

The parade includes a broad mix of shops from a family-run baker, newsagent, hairdresser and a pharmacy to a florist and more specialist businesses like Happy Hounds dog groomers and Aviation Retail Direct, which sells model aircraft.