12:00pm Saturday 18th July 2009
By Joanna Kilvington
The MP for Twickenham has defended his decision to stay out of the controversy surrounding the redevelopment of Twickenham Riverside by saying it is a council matter.
Vince Cable has been attacked by riverside campaigners in recent weeks for not getting involved in what they have labelled “the most controversial issue in Twickenham”.
Riverside campaigners are hoping the Liberal Democrat MP will help them stop council plans to build 32 luxury homes and River Centre on the derelict site.
Campaigner and co-chairman of the Richmond United Group, Teresa Read, wrote to the Liberal Democrat MP this week asking him to intervene and persuade the council to stop the sale and discuss community alternatives.
In the letter she wrote: “You really must take notice of your constituents and have the vision to allow a community option the chance to work.”
However, speaking this week, Dr Cable said that as an MP he would not get involved in council matters.
He said: “As a resident who’s lived here for 35 years, who swam in Twickenham Pool, I’m fed up with the endless dereliction and lack of progress on an important site.
“In order to have a good community project like the River Centre and significant open space, which is what the council has planned, it is necessary to have some housing as a necessary mechanism for funding the development.
“I have spent time discussing the proposal with critics on the council. I have listened and passed on people’s concerns to the council.
“They are the elected body and it is their responsibility to make the decision.”
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