Twickenham's proposed town square will reunite the town with the river but the much-maligned King Street shops will remain, according to Lord True.

The leader of Richmond Council said he has "great feelings" about the future of Twickenham and said he believes the town square at the heart of development plans will "reinvigorate" the area.

He said: "One of the things that came out of the Barefoot consultation in 2010 was that people regretted the fact Twickenham was separated from the river.

"Historically, it was always the river that made Twickenham but the way King Street was developed meant you could pass through without knowing it was there.

"We wanted to rejoin Twickenham with the river and the way to do that is to open up the area at the top of Water Lane and create a square."

There have been calls to redevelop King Street by knocking down the shop buildings on the Thames side of the road, but Lord True said it was not possible because it would be "far too grandiose" to do so.

Six architects are vying for their design ideas to be taken forward and the square could be ready in time for the borough's music and arts festival in 2016.

Plans for the square will be "sympathetic with the area and not high rise", the council leader added.

Other improvements Lord True hoped to see implemented in the town include making Twickenham Bridge and the A316 more cycle-friendly.

He is also expecting progress on the Post Office site, near the station, by spring 2016.

Another aim is to create a "river park", joining up the Ham and Twickenham sides of the river, although he said he does not want to see "some sort of Disney park".

He conceded a pedestrian bridge at Radnor Gardens across the river is unlikely and will not happen in his current term as leader.

He added: "We are talking millions though and we did see if Transport for London would be interested. They thought it was a nice idea but were more interested in other things.

"It is aspiration we are aware of but are unable to make promises on."

Twickenham town centre has undergone work in recent months including the widening of pavements, relocation of bus stops and upgrading junctions.