Something of the future that's envisaged by Richmond upon Thames Council for the old pool site on Twickenham riverside - now cleared of the old baths building - has emerged in answers given by the leader, Cllr Tony Arbour, to questions put at the council meeting on April 19.

As the cafe, part of the council's temporary scheme at one end of the site, is put in place, there is also a fresh scheme coming forward through the Mayor of London's 100 Public Spaces project, proposed by the local branch of the Royal Institute of British Architects.

Twickenham Riverside Terrace Group, which put forward its own proposals for the whole of the site to be used for public open space and secured planning permission for them in 2001, asked the Leader and Cabinet Member for Combating Crime:

• What are the long term plans for the Twickenham Riverside Swimming Pool site, including the toilets in Water Lane and the reserved land in Water Lane and Bell Lane, after 2009?
• What is the size, location and nature of the proposed Twickenham Challenge Community Asset?
• Why has the run-down Embankment area adjacent to the pool site not been included in the Arcadia Project?

Cllr Arbour replied in writing:

"The long term plan is to continue to preserve and enhance the character and appearance of the Conservation Area and building on our success after nearly 25 years of squalor and dereliction. Work will start later this year towards a new planning development brief (based on the new proposal T1).

"There will be an urban design appraisal and the public will be welcome to provide their
views. The aim is for a scheme of an appropriate scale and character, with high quality architecture. For the first time, the UDP now requires that public open space must feature in any redevelopment of the site - and it will form an important element.

"The scheme will be funded from residential and other appropriate enabling development. Your group has already been advised on numerous occasions that there are no plans whatsoever to sell the former toilets on Water Lane (in the inquiry into the short-term scheme).The land is retained and will ultimately form part of the long-term scheme.

"The reserved land in Bell Lane and Water Lane will ultimately be disposed of. However, that is deferred until it is clear whether those plots might be of any practical assistance in achieving the long-term redevelopment of the site.

"The Twickenham Challenge Community Asset is yet to be determined and the participants have their own ideas. The land available will be approximately 15-20% of the Council owned land. You are well aware of the general type of proposals - as mentioned on your own website.

"There is much new thinking that points to valuable and interesting leisure opportunities for the future and I am not going to pre-empt the work that is being done by the participants.

"The proposals will shortly be very well publicised indeed in a special brochure and on the Internet. The Cabinet will give formal consideration to the proposals to decide which will go forward for more detailed consideration. There will be an extensive range of appraisal criteria and the reports will be in the public domain.

"Previous attempts to redevelop the pool site operated from the premise that the regeneration of the pool site should extend to improvements on the Embankment - which meant this area was excluded from the Arcadia plans. This will continue to be the approach adopted in the future - it is too late to try and bolt something new onto Arcadia now.

"I am delighted to announce that we will shortly be making improvements to this part of the Embankment - dealing with the planters, installing new plants and renovating the railings."

Now, with the demolition of the old pool building and clearing of the area, the new scheme being put forward as part of the Mayor of London's 100 public spaces project by the local RIBA proposes that long-term development should primarily comprise a public open space, with uses focussing on the unique riverside location. The plan demonstrates how traffic could be removed from the water's edge, play areas and cafes provided, with safe access to the river and the re-introduction of boat hire.

Local architect, James Deasley, now offers the proposals for more general discussion via the websites. Plans do not yet include reference to the Twickenham Challenge, although it can be included. The architects of the scheme say that the balance of advantage is to maximise expenditure on the public open space as the benefit, and minimise the enabling development, to the exclusion of any other public benefit building.

See the RIBA proposals

See the TRTG website

See the Mayor's 100 Public Spaces

See the earlier article on the temporary scheme for the site

Monday, April 25, 2005

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