Plans for a new flats and shops development at Twickenham Riverside have been withdrawn

Major plans to redevelop Twickenham Riverside have been withdrawn by the new administration of Richmond Council.

Proposals to transform a former swimming pool site into 39 apartments with shops, parking spaces and a public square were submitted and approved by the Conservatives, who ran the council until the May elections.

New Liberal Democrat leader of the council Gareth Roberts said the site was “one of the key battlegrounds” of the campaign.

He added: “We cannot overestimate the importance of this site, and that proposals should respond to the needs of the community as much as possible and not just the needs of the council.”

Riverside Action Group was one of the organisation that worked with the previous administration to come up with the plans.

Susan Burningham, from the group, said: “It seems to have been kicked into the long grass, for a few months at least, which is a worry.

“It took a lot of good, hard work, but we did manage to find common ground with the council.”

Controversies with the old scheme included the amount of parking, with the council’s 2017 consultation results showing two thirds of people thought there was too much space in the plans.

One suggestion, from community group Twickenham Riverside Park Team, was to move all parking underground.

The amount of affordable housing was also criticised, with the Conservative plans including just six flats (15 per cent) due to the cost of the rest of the scheme.

Ms Burningham said: “I don’t believe the perfect solution exists, but I’m very interested to see what the Liberal Democrats do.

“I want to see what happens now. I don’t want yet more designs or yet more consultations.

“We have been waiting for this for 40 years now.”

A new brief for the site will be developed in the coming weeks, and residents and businesses will be engaged with in the autumn, with a new planning application expected in early 2019.

Deputy Conservative leader Councillor Pamela Fleming was heavily involved in the process of getting the now-withdrawn scheme ready.

She said: “We worked very closely with local councillors, community groups, residents and businesses to develop the scheme that was approved by the Planning Committee on March 7.

“We look forward to seeing the new administration’s review of the brief and new consultation.”

Cllr Fleming and Ms Burningham both emphasised that the site, including the Diamond Jubilee Gardens, given in trust to the people of Twickenham for 125 years, must remain in public ownership.