Twickenham will benefit from a five-year improvement plan after it was announced as a Business Improvement District (Bid) this week.

Businesses in a defined area within the town centre have put forward a range of improvements and projects throughout 2013 that include parking schemes, addressing empty shops and promoting safety.

Voting closed on Tuesday, November 12, with more than 50 per cent of businesses in favour.

The ideas helped shape a five-year business plan which will now be implemented over the course of the Bid.

Businesses paying a levy of 1.5 per cent of their rateable value, which will raise £280,000 in each of the five years of the plan, to be spent entirely on supporting the town’s business community. Twickenham is the first area in the borough to be announced as a Bid.

Chairman of Church Street Traders and Twickenham Town Business Association Bruce Lyons said Twickenham could now impress visitors during the 2015 Rugby World Cup.

He said: “I am absolutely delighted that we got the Bid.

“I think our plan ticks all the boxes and it is what we have always wanted and been working for – it is an evolution.

“It is a wake-up call to get our act together by 2015 so we can give people a really warm welcome.”

The council’s deputy leader Councillor Geoffrey Samuel said: “I am delighted to hear the news Twickenham is going to be the borough’s first Bid.

“The council is totally committed to the regeneration of Twickenham as a place to live.

“This news is a major step in the right direction and consistent with what we want to do for Twickenham.”