Twickenham Riverside regeneration costs hit £67.2m amid delays and council criticism
The cost of regenerating a South West London town centre has risen to a staggering £67.2million, before construction has even started.
Plans to transform the part-derelict Twickenham Riverside were approved in 2022 after 40 years of uncertainty and will see 45 new homes, shops, cafés, restaurants and open space built next to the River Thames, but the progress of the scheme has been described as "painfully slow".
Richmond Council said the revamp was delayed by nearly 12 months after winning planning permission, as the process to acquire gardens needed to carry it out took longer than expected.
Twickenham Riverside Trust was given a 125-year lease on Diamond Jubilee Gardens in 2014 and opposed the council's application to acquire the land under a compulsory purchase order (CPO) which led to a public inquiry in June 2023, but it was approved that November.
A new report by council officers said the delayed CPO process resulted in a "significant increase in costs" due to inflation and the scheme needing to be redesigned to meet new building regulations which came into effect during that time.
But Celia Holman, Secretary of Twickenham Riverside Trust, told the council's Finance Committee on June 25 the report made "misleading statements about the CPO process" as the authority caused the delays.
Ms Holman said: "The council's priority planning application sat for 15 months in its own planning department.
"Two months after it was submitted, the first CPO notice was served, but only to be followed by 10 months of council-caused delays – three months resulting from having to serve a second notice due to a change in the council's case, which then needed to be re-served as it had been served incorrectly.
"All of this delayed the allocation of an inquiry date. A CPO inquiry date in the diary, the council then requested an adjournment.
"The 'already delayed' inquiry date was pushed back a further seven months, and all this time the project team waited for planning permission."
It comes after Green Councillor Richard Bennett told a previous council meeting that residents were feeling disappointed "at the painfully slow progress in the development of Twickenham Riverside".
The overall scheme will see the gardens moved to the centre of the site and two new blocks built on either side, with a five-storey building on Wharf Lane and a four-storey block on Water Lane.
There will be 45 new homes across both buildings, including 21 affordable homes, along with new shops, offices, cafés and restaurants on their ground floors.
The new gardens will have a children's play area with a tree house and climbing wall, playing pitches, terraced lawns, new trees and tiered seating. The riverfront will be pedestrianised and there will be a new zone for activities on the Thames, along with boat storage and a pontoon.
The Finance Committee approved the addition of £16.8m to the scheme's budget at the latest meeting on June 25, bringing it up to £67.2m, so the project can finally move into the main construction phase.
The council is currently preparing the site for this and has completed the first phase of these enabling works, which included fencing it off, felling trees and carrying out archaeological investigations.
The authority has now moved into the second phase, which will see empty units and outbuildings on King Street demolished, temporary flood defences put in and staff accommodation installed.
The council is set to enter into a construction contract in September to carry out the main works, which are due to begin in December.
The scheme is set to be completed by September 2027.
Lib Dem councillor Stephen O'Shea said: "This will deliver the high-quality public realm that the community has been calling out for for decades and that they deserve.
"It will vastly improve the riverside, create affordable housing, boost the local economy, support the great businesses in Church Street and Twickenham town centre.
"This isn't just an investment in a space, this is an investment in people and in Twickenham as a thriving place to live, work and visit. We have to recognise that the additional investment is a real ask, especially at this time with the cost of living and sustained financial challenges."
After the meeting, Lib Dem Council Leader Gareth Roberts added: "Twickenham's riverside has been the subject of ambition and discussion for many years.
"We now have the funding and approvals in place to move into full delivery – and residents will soon see the transformation taking shape.
"This is a bold scheme with the community's interests at the centre that will unlock the riverside's potential and bring long-term benefits to the borough."
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