MICHAEL Gove is giving a £600,000 government grant towards the cost of redeveloping Twickenham Riverside, which will create a new town square on the river.

The money is part of a £2 billion scheme to support councils across England to build new homes on what is described as underused or derelict land.

The grant creates a political conundrum for the borough given that the Riverside scheme is being promoted by the Lib-Dem council and opposed by local Conservatives.

The fact that Michael Gove appears to be supporting a scheme opposed by his own party in this area could be difficult for local Conservatives to reconcile.

The scheme will include some 45 homes with around half designated as 'affordable', however critics claim that, in reality, most will be too expensive for local young people to buy or rent.

The redevelopment includes two new buildings – one on Water Lane, which runs from central Twickenham to the riverside, and a second at Wharf Lane.

The Water Lane building will have shops on the ground floor, together with a new café looking towards the river, with a series of apartments above.

The taller Wharf Lane building will have a large gastropub or restaurant and offices on the ground floor, with apartments on the floors above.

Significantly, there will be a new promenade along the river, removing cars under proposals which gives people priority over vehicles.

The riverside site has been the centre of controversy for decades with successive Council administrations unable to decide how it should be developed and opened up to public use.

The site is currently home to the Diamond Jubilee Gardens, which are managed by the Twickenham Riverside Trust. There are proposals to move these, but this has not been resolved.

Lib-Dem Councillor, James Chard, welcomed the offer of Government support for the scheme saying: "Good news that Government are supporting the Twickenham Riverside project to the tune of £600k via the Brownfield Land Release Fund.

"Thanks to @michaelgove for support in getting this transformational project for Twickenham done at last."

The same announcement from Mr Gove's department revealed there will also be a government grant of £250,000 towards the cost of the housing and community hall scheme on the Elleray Hall site, Teddington. The scheme, which will include 16 flats, is opposed by a number of local residents.

Details of the England-wide Gove scheme are due to be formally announced in the Budget this week. It is claimed they will support the building of new homes on land equivalent to 2,000 football pitches.

The taxpayer will put up £1.8billion to support the building of about 160,000 homes in England. This will be bolstered by £300m spent by local councils and regional mayors.

As well as preparing sites for development, the money will be used to provide transport links, schools and public spaces so they can become thriving communities.

Alongside this, the Chancellor will announce a £9million Levelling Up Parks Fund that will enable local authorities to transform more than 100 neglected urban spaces into 'pocket parks' roughly the size of a tennis court.

These green spaces are aimed at improving the physical and mental health of communities by providing a safe place for children to play in as well as somewhere adults can relax.