STUART Kenny is to retire as director general of Letchworth Garden City Heritage Foundation at the end of June, after 15 years at the helm. Mr Kenny said: After 15 years, I think it is time to hand over the reins to someone else to drive forward, amon

STUART Kenny is to retire as director general of Letchworth Garden City Heritage Foundation at the end of June, after 15 years at the helm.

Mr Kenny said: "After 15 years, I think it is time to hand over the reins to someone else to drive forward, among other things, the final two phases of the town centre revitalisation which are already substantially planned and prepared for.

"I leave an excellent team in place, who along with my successor, will, I am sure, bring further success to the Garden City."

Foundation chairman, Colin Chatfield, said: "Stuart has been at the forefront of many key developments over the past 15 years that have transformed the town and community. His ability, dedication and energy will be a huge loss to Letchworth Garden City."

Mr Kenny, 60, joined the former Letchworth Garden City Corporation, then in the public sector, with a board appointed by the secretary of state for the environment, in late 1994, piloting it into the private sector as an industrial and provident society, which provides much greater representation from the local community.

Since then, he has overseen a transformation of the garden city's fortunes. Since 1996, the Foundation's annual income has risen from �6m to �13m, enabling its annual charitable spending to rise from �1.4m to �3.3m.

As important has been the regeneration of the town centre and the industrial area, including the Spirella, Nexus, Arcade, Broadway Cinema and Skill Centre redevelopments. The first phase of the most recent town centre revitalisation scheme will be completed before Mr Kenny retires.

At the same time, The Greenway has been created, which, along with the improvements to sports facilities, has improved local recreation opportunities significantly.

Landlord's consent policies and processes and heritage grants have also been substantially improved, reflecting a determination to maintain Letchworth GC's heritage and principles.

With some �25m in bankings, the Foundation is poised to make further improvements to the garden city estate.