Twickenham will finally connect with its riverside as architects have been encouraged to open the town up to the Thames in the latest stage of the town’s Area Action Plan.
The move to revitalise Twickenham has been welcomed by residents who criticised the town for turning its back on the river and have campaigned for decades for the riverside to be embraced.
By purchasing properties along King Street and Water Lane, Richmond Borough Council want to introduce a space akin to the quaint Church Street.
Lord Nicholas True, Leader of Richmond council, welcomed the move to reunite town and river.
“It will form a link between the improved Town Centre and the award winning Diamond Jubilee Gardens,” he said.
“We hope to attract some of Britain’s best architects to submit ideas for our town, respecting its history, its intimate scale and the beauty of the river.
“This could be a lasting legacy for generations.”
The development will support market activity, boutique restaurants, arts and crafts shops as well as the possibility for an amphitheatre on the embankment.
Twickenham has been on working on beautification for months as it undergoes a £5.2million facelift ahead of hosting 10 matches at the Rugby World Cup in 2015.
Picture courtesy of Jim Linwood, with thanks
