Twickenham Riverside consultation hailed a success

12.31.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Thu 18th Oct 2007

Angela Kidner, Richmond Environment Trust

Moves to revitalise Twickenham Riverside moved another step forward this week at a consultation meeting that drew more than 100 people.

The "Options Workshop" held at Twickenham Rugby Stadium on Monday, 15 October, was the latest stage in a comprehensive programme of community consultation. The Council is determined to give local residents, stakeholders and businesses the chance to contribute ideas for the development of the site. And Monday's meeting, held at an early stage in the consultation process, was hailed as a great success. The session was led by design consultants, Urban Practitioners, while Angela Kidner, from the Environment Trust, outlined their proposals for a River Centre on the site.

Leader of Richmond Council, Cllr Serge Lourie, said: "Twickenham Riverside has been a blot on the borough for too long and it is time for action. I am delighted that we are now in a position to move forward and produce a scheme that will significantly enhance the riverside and town. We are intent on delivering a scheme that has real benefit to the community, and one that is highly sustainable - a landmark design of high quality and on a scale that is appropriate for this sensitive location. Consultation is key and we will listen to the opinions and concerns of local people throughout the process. That is why I was delighted that so many people came to Monday's workshop. It was a great success and there really seemed to be a convergence of views on how this important site could be developed. The River Centre, the importance of open space, improvements to car parking and retention of the children's playground on the site were all strongly supported. All views expressed throughout the consultation will be taken into account and so help us shape the final scheme."

A public exhibition on the preferred option for the site is scheduled to be held before Christmas. Further details of the history of and progress on this scheme are at: http://www.rivercentre.org.uk/ and at: http://www.environmenttrust.co.uk/rcproject.html