Call to Rename a Woking Plaza After the Late Queen

Published on: 26 Nov, 2022
Updated on: 30 Nov, 2022

Henry Plaza is in the pedestrianised Woking Shopping Centre Apple Maps

By Emily Coady-Stemp

local democracy reporter

A Woking councillor is calling for the Henry Plaza shopping area to be renamed as a permanent tribute to Queen Elizabeth II.

Woking Borough Council

A meeting of Woking Borough Council on Thursday (December 1) will consider a motion to rename the space in the Victoria Place shopping centre.

Cllr Steve Dorsett (Con, Pyrford) submitted the motion, saying few residents know why it is called Henry Plaza and that renaming would “reflect the love and admiration” felt for the late Queen by Woking residents.

He said it felt right given the plaza opened earlier this year, in the same year as the Queen’s jubilee and of her death, and that along with the names Jubilee Square and Victoria Place, it would also be “thematically constant”.

Cllr Dorsett said many councillors both current and former, as well as Woking residents, made the trip to queue to see the Queen Lying-In-State, while events in the borough including the Proclamation of King Charles III were “extremely well attended”.

He said: “Given the strength of feeling Woking residents clearly have for the Royal Family and especially to the memory of Her Majesty the Queen, we are proposing a permanent tribute to Her Majesty.

“With that in mind it is proposed we rename Henry Plaza, the newest part of the Victoria Place, to Queen Elizabeth II Plaza.”

The square is named after Henry Cawsey, a former councillor in the area, which was explained to members of the council’s executive by the borough council leader at a meeting on November 17.

Cllr Ann-Marie Barker (Lib Dem, Goldsworth Park) said she was keen to tell more residents who the square was named after and why.

She also referred to her fellow Lib Dem Cllr Ian Johnson (Mount Hermon), who has been on the council since 1994.

Of Henry Cawsey, Cllr Barker said: “He was a councillor even before Councillor Johnson was here, so a very long time ago, who apparently contributed a great deal to the town in his day.”

Cllr Dorsett’s motion said: “Few residents are aware of the reasoning behind the current name of Henry Plaza.

“But having it be named Queen Elizabeth II Plaza, along with Jubilee Square and the Victoria Place itself, feels thematically constant.

“This tribute will reflect the love and admiration for her felt by our Woking community.”

This month, Woking executive agreed to add a further £45million to the borrowing for the Victoria Place development, bringing the fully loan-funded project total to £745m.

The additional money will need approval from full council at its December 1 meeting.