£2.5m: The true cost of Twickenham Riverside project (From Richmond and Twickenham Times)

£2.5m: The true cost of Twickenham Riverside project

12:39pm Friday 15th January 2010 in

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Almost £2.5m has been spent on a currently unsuccessful attempt to redevelop Twickenham Riverside since 2001, the RTT can reveal.

Between March 2007, when Richmond Council’s cabinet approved the controversial development, and December 2009, it is estimated between £643,000 and £683,000 was ploughed into the former swimming baths site.

The figure includes money spent on consultants and consultations, reports and publications, building works and officer time, estimated to be in excess of £200,000.

From 2001 to March 2007 the authority estimates a total spend of more than £1.7m, and included in that sum is £908,000 spent on a playground, cafe and other facilities in Jubilee Gardens between 2002 and 2006 by the previous Conservative administration.

The council revealed £76,000 was spent from April 1 to mid-December 2009, £18,000 of which went on solicitors with £47,500 on technical consultants and more than £1,300 on newsletters about the site.

Richmond Council leader Serge Lourie defended the the cost, revealed after a Freedom of Information request by the RTT, and said he hoped the plan would not be “derailed” or the cash would go to waste.

The figures angered campaigners against the redevelopment.

Friends of Twickenham Riverside campaigner Julie Hill, of Sherland Road, Twickenham, branded the figure “appalling”.

She said: “In his propoganda leaflets Serge Lourie repeatedly maintains his unpopular scheme is at no cost to local tax payers yet look at the figures.

“Almost £700,000 spent on a plan to build private houses on what should be public space, a playground moved to a flood plain and a building with a fish tank which will probably end up as a council office.”

Sarah Meagher, of Tennyson Avenue, Twickenham, said: “If Coun Lourie had informed the people of this borough prior to his election about these plans he would not have been given the opportunity to waste our money.”

Councillor Lourie said: “The Twickenham Riverside site has been largely derelict for almost 30 years and that has not been good for either the council or the area.

“During the course of that time a considerable amount of money has been spent on a variety of different schemes which have not come to fruition.

“We now have a scheme that will enhance the area significantly, by providing £4m worth of public amenity.

“This will include public open space and a River Centre backed by Sir David Attenborough.

“All this will be at no additional cost to the council taxpayer. That is good value for money.

“If on the other hand we were to allow the current scheme to be derailed, the money we have spent since 2006 will have been wasted and that is something we are not prepared to do.”

Coun Lourie announced the development of the riverside site, with plans to build 32 houses and a river centre, had been halted in October.

He revealed a contract would not be signed with developer Countryside Properties until after the council elections in May so the issue could be decided at the ballot box.

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