Council and local people to shape Twickenham Riverside

5.51.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Sun 30th Sep 2007

A secure future for Twickenham Riverside is about to take a significant step.

500 local residents and businesses have been invited to take part in a workshop in Twickenham Rugby Stadium on Monday 15 October.

The afternoon will consist of workshop sessions giving local people the chance to contribute ideas to the development of options for the site, and ultimately help shape the final scheme. This is a very early stage in the long process of change and there will be further consultations in the future.

Talking about the afternoon session, council leader Serge Lourie said:

"We are determined not to make the mistakes of previous proposals and ensure that Twickenham gets a first class scheme. We intend to work with the local community to ensure that the project is widely welcomed. The Twickenham Riverside site has been a blot on the borough for far too long. I am delighted that we are now in a position to move forward and get a scheme that will significantly enhance our riverside and town. A number of decisions have yet to be made but we are already committed to a number of key elements for the site. Central to it will be a river centre to be operated by the Environment Trust for Richmond upon Thames. The Council are well aware that the provision of playground facilities and public open space is important to local people. We are clear that the site should contain both publicly accessible toilets and a café or possibly even cafés with river views. Housing is also likely to play an important role in enabling these publicly accessible facilities. The scheme must have the highest quality design and a density that is appropriate to this sensitive location.

"As the greenest council in London, we intend to ensure that the project is built to the highest environmental standards and will be an exemplar of what can be achieved. We are also looking at highway access, exploring whether traffic may be moved permanently from the river frontage. But a lot of important decisions are yet to be made and this is why we are holding the workshop. The River Centre is ultimately for local people and we need to make the important decisions with their help. We have invited 500 local residents, stakeholders and businesses already - I urge as many as possible to come along. If you are a local resident or business person from the Twickenham area who has not been invited but would like to take part please get in touch- we will be very happy to have you along subject to capacity."