Twickenham Pool Site History

Twickenham Swimming Pool

TWICKENHAM POOLSITE HISTORY, 2006

Home 1980-2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

BIG NEWS: 5 Dec 2006 - Council Press Release on the River Centre

This confirms the Council's support for the project, as devised by the Environment Trust for Richmond upon Thames, including statement by council leader Serge Lourie. Press Release

Environment Trust website


BIG NEWS: 10 Oct 2006 - Environment Trust's River Centre for the Poolsite

In a meeting at York House on Monday, 9 0ctober, the Council voted to include the Environment Trust's proposed River Centre in any new scheme for the riverside. The whole redevelopment will be subject to ongoing discussions for the development of the T1 planning brief for the site. The Twickenham Challenge idea will be dropped, but the other two challengers, Busen and the Duke of Edinburgh Award Centre, will be found accommodation elsewhere in Twickenham, possibly together.

Full report, with Councillors' statements, on Twickenham Online

The Environment Trust's presentation on the River Centre (PowerPoint, 755KB - may be slow to load)


17 Sept 2006 - NEW PROPOSALS FOR THE POOLSITE

The Twickenham Challengers present their proposals for the Public Asset:
  • Riverside Centre (Environment Trust)
  • Duke of Edinburgh Award Centre
  • Judo Club (Busen)
At a special meeting of the Council's Cabinet: 6.00 pm Tues 26th Sept 2006 in The Salon, York House

There will be an opportunity for members of the public to express their views and pose questions for the Challengers.

Update, 1 June, 2006

FINAL VERSION: Report on the Vision for Twickenham Waterfront Meeting, 20 March - The full write-up of the meeting in the Church Hall, with a brief history of the Embankment, and presentations by Council Officers, the Port of London Authority and the Thames Landscape Strategy. (.pdf, 7 pages, 124KB)

Update, 25 March 2006

At the COUNCIL CABINET MEETING on Monday, 20 March, it was decided to extend the consultation period for the Twickenham Challenge to 14 April. Further feedback on the proposals is still welcome. See below for the Challenge schemes.

In addition, the Council's Twickenham Riverside web page says, "Following consideration of the Twickenham Challenge proposals, work will begin on a new planning development brief. The approach will be rigorous and realistic and the Council will continue to listen to all points of view expressed whilst providing clear reasoning to support its decisions. Once the planning development brief is finalised, proposals will be invited from suitable developers to achieve a wider scheme worthy of its setting."

Editor's note re the Twickenham Challenge: There are currently no plans to provide a proper public consultation meeting and display for the schemes. This would give the groups the opportunity to present their plans to the public, to explain the financing, and their validity in the riverside setting.


16 March, 2006 - COUNCIL CABINET MEETING RE THE TWICKENHAM CHALLENGE, 7.30pm 20 March

Agenda for the Council Cabinet Meeting - see item 26 for the Twickenham Challenge

Please see the Chief Executive's summary on the Twickenham Challenge for the meeting (PDF, 3 pages, 78KB).

The summary appears to recommend that decisions on the Challenge are deferred until after the local elections on 4 May, and alludes to possible further public consultation.

Editor's note: A proper public consultation is essential to protect the public interest in this valuable and irreplaceable riverside location.

The Twickenham Challenge was launched in February 2003, advertising for expressions of interest from local community organisations wishing to propose facilities on part of the former Twickenham pool site.


7 March, 2006 - THE TWICKENHAM WATERFRONT - Public Meeting Called for Monday, 20 March, 8pm, St Mary's Church Hall

This meeting is to discuss the state of the Embankment and proposals for its future. It is NOT about the poolsite.

SPEAKERS INCLUDE:
  1. Introduction by Elizabeth Wood, local resident and historian
  2. Officers from Richmond Council
  3. Jason Debney, Thames Landscape Strategy
  4. Representative from the Port of London Authority
  5. Representative from the Environment Agency
ALL WELCOME, donations invited to help defray the costs
In Association with the Eel Pie Island Association, Environment Trust for Richmond-on-Thames, Keep Twickenham Tidy, Richmond Environmental Centre, River Thames Society, Thames Landscape Strategy and York House Society. More details here

6 March, 2006 - Responses to Twickenham Challenge

  1. HANDS Response (HANDS is the charity which uses the old caretaker's house on the poolsite as a base for its work in the community)
  2. Eel Pie Island Association Response
  3. Thames Eyot Residents' Association Response (the Thames Eyot development lies just upstream of the poolsite)
  4. The Twickenham Riverside Terrace Group (TRTG)'s response is on the Terrace Group's website.

19 February, 2006 - TWICKENHAM CHALLENGE REVEALED

The Council has revealed details of the four candidates for the Twickenham Challenge, plus the selection criteria.

Comments on the challengers must be submitted by 5PM ON FRIDAY 3 MARCH. This is in preparation for the Council cabinet meeting on the 20th. Considering that there are over 200 pages in the various Challenge documents, this will require a pretty steep reading and assimilation process.

Council's website: Twickenham Challenge

Challengers:
  1. Duke of Edinburgh's Award Forum - summary and full proposals
  2. Busen Anglo-Japanese Club - summary and full proposals
  3. Environment Trust - summary, full proposals, business case, detailed programme, architect's drawings
Twickenham Challenge Feedback
Send feedback by 5pm Friday 3rd March to:

Twickenham Challenge Appraisal
Room 1.11
Civic Centre
Twickenham, TW1 3BZ

Or email twickenhamchallenge@richmond.gov.uk.

Twickenham Challenge Appraisal Criteria - need to be scrutinised carefully
  • Public utility/amenity/benefits
  • Financial viability
  • Compatibility with wider long term scheme
  • Deliverability
  • Value for money
  • Scarcity and resource allocation
  • Congruence with policy framework
  • Synergy and regenerative benefits
  • Level and type of recipients
  • Originality or duplication
  • Economic fundamentals
  • General risks
  • Legal and contractual issues
  • Timeframe
  • Permanence/sustainability
  • Congruence with other matters
  • Public feedback
  • Development resources

3 February, 2006 - Further delay for Twickenham Challenge

Twickenham Online reports that there is a revised timetable for the much-delayed Twickenham Challenge, community-led proposals for the riverside, with a report scheduled for March Cabinet.

This will leave relatively little time for public to consider the schemes prior to the Council elections in May.

The Council's Twickenham Riverside web page


^^ top of page
<< Riverside Home Page
<< Poolsite History 1980-2001
<< Poolsite History for 2002
<< Poolsite History for 2003
<< Poolsite History for 2004
<< Poolsite History for 2005
<< Poolsite History for 2006
<< Poolsite History for 2007
<< Poolsite History for 2008
<< Poolsite History for 2009
<< Poolsite History for 2010
<< Poolsite History for 2011

page created 26/10/07, last amended 10/6/12