Council to press ahead with plans for Twickenham Riverside

5.14.00pm UTC (GMT +0000) Mon 21st Apr 2008

• AT its meeting next Monday 14 April, Richmond Council's Cabinet will decide its approach to the development of the former swimming pool site on Twickenham Riverside.

It is expected after a lengthy consultation with local residents and businesses that there will be no change to the preferred approach of developing the site with a mixture of commercial development, community facilities and public open space. The key to the development will involve selling part of the site for the development of private residential property. The proceeds of this sale will in turn part fund the proposed river centre and pay for the landscaping and development of the public space aspect of the development.

Speaking ahead of the cabinet meeting Council Leader Serge Lourie said: "We have consulted extensively on the future of this site over the past four months. Some aspects of the development were always going to be highly contentious and the views of certain groups in the community are well documented. We will consider carefully all the views submitted. This is a case where we are never going to be able to satisfy everyone's wishes. In the end we are proposing a scheme that will enhance the local area, enrich the town and borough in general, and satisfy our planning requirements while at the same time provide value for money for the council tax payers of Richmond upon Thames. On the last point of value for money we need to be very clear that developing this site without an enabling development simply is not an option. We currently have huge demands on our capital reserves and pumping millions into this project was never an option. Twickenham Riverside needs to wash its face and with these proposals I believe that is exactly what it will do."