Welcome
to the Twickenham Riverside website, put together and maintained
by local people who are concerned about the redevelopment of the old
swimming baths, and its surroundings, beside the Thames. Please note that this site does not use cookies.
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LATEST:
Update: 19 May 2013 - Council to purchase Santander building and car park
The council cabinet were voting on Friday evening (17 May) to purchase two properties, 1, 1a and 1b King Street, and 2-4 Water Lane.
The King Street frontage contains Santander, M&Co and Superdrug. The Water Lane property is the car park behind King Street.
According to the officer's report to cabinet, the purchase - with a suggested price of approximately £1.5million - will enable the council to press ahead with plans for a public square at the corner of King Street and Water Lane, plus an "active frontage" with retail and residential down Water Lane.
The term "Active Frontage" has never been adequately defined. It is questionable whether the town centre, with so many empty shops on the main streets, needs any more retail. And the form the residential would take is also interesting.
MAIN POINTS
Pool Site: Having this land means that the remainder of the old poolsite can be developed more sympathetically, without having to take a piecemeal approach. It would be wonderful if the Diamond Jubilee Gardens could be extended to Water Lane, with a public viewing platform and café at the corner of Water Lane, with the best views up and down the river. See pictures below (This is assuming that a suitable home is found for HANDS, the charity which helps many in the borough, which is currently located in the old caretaker's house on the Embankment.)
Service Road:
Acquiring the car park means that the service road can be extended to Wharf Lane - though the drop in levels of approximately 1.5m means that vechicles with large turning circles will have problems.
DOCUMENTS
Officer's report (which bears close reading): PURCHASE OF 1, 1A, 1B KING STREET AND 2/4 WATER LANE, TWICKENHAM
Map 1 - Appendix A the poolsite
Map 2 - Appendix B the remainder of the block: Santander building (blue), car park (green), buildings in King Street (red)
Update: 15 Feb 2013 - New Twickenham Area Action Plan
The Twickenham Area Action Plan is currently undergoing scrutiny by the planning inspector, prior to being adopted. One worrying element in the plan is a possible specification for redevelopment on the site of the old toilets, including possible retail, café, and luxury housing. This is a prime location, with views up and down the river, and should remain in the public domain in perpetuity.
The view downstream from in front of the former toilet block, February 2013. Photo © Yvonne Hewett.
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The view upstream from in front of the former toilet block, February 2013. Photo © Yvonne Hewett.
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Update: 15 Feb 2013 - TRTG's planning application for remaining buildings on poolsite
The Twickenham Riverside Terrace Group's application from 9 March 2012, 12/0719/FUL, still has not been heard. HANDS, the charity that provides voluntary help and support for people throughout the community, is still located in the former Superintendent's house. Otherwise, the buildings are empty and derelict, including the former toilet block.
Please see
our History 1980-2001 page for background
and the details of developments proposed for the pool site prior
to December, 2001; and the pages for 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012 for
changes to the poolsite in those years. The picture archive from the partial demolition of the old pool building is at Pictures
1 and Pictures 2.
On this site you will also find:
| 1. |
The October
1999 Report of the River Use Working Party,
looking at the site, its surroundings, and possible redevelopment
options. |
| 2. |
The October
1999 Report of the Traffic and Parking Working
Party, looking at the impact of the development on traffic
flow and parking. |
| 3. |
The Public
Consultations. Jack Betteridge's analysis of the
consultations, the methods and the results, in 2000 and 2001.
July 2001 |
| 4. |
The April
2000 Report of the River
Centre Working Party. This interim document was delivered
to the Council on 13 April. |
| 5. |
Rethink
on the Riverside - prepared for the Twickenham Society
Group of Local Societies and Individuals: Introduction and Full
Report (.pdf, 16 pages, 192kb). Sept 2002. |
| 6. |
Twickenham
Society Group's Recommendations for the Poolsite Development
Brief - background and briefing on traffic,
parking, and difficult areas. .pdf, 7 pages, 90KB. August,
2007. |
| 7. |
The Big Questions about the Alternative Schemes (2 pages, 90KB .pdf) Originally drafted in 2009 and still relevant. |
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Contact
Details
You can contact the Environment Trust on 020 8891 5455 or e-mail rivercentre@environmenttrust.co.uk.
If you have any problems with this website, please email riverside@rivercentre.org.uk
You
may also be interested in the information provided about this, and
related topics, on the following websites:
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