Facing a barrage of questions from concerned residents about the Richmond Riverside development scheme in January 1984 were left to right, Michael Honey, chief executive and town clerk, Tim Razzall, chairman of policy and resources committee, council leader David Williams and Michael Hebron, head of technical services.

A crowded meeting was told by Richmond council leaders that there were only two choices for the Richmond Riverside site and both included more than 140,000 square feet of office accommodation.

But their views were contested by many members of the all party Richmond United group which pressed for both schemes to be rejected in favour of a more conservation and amenity orientated scheme. Council Leader David Williams told the meeting at Richmond Community Centre that the council was contractually bound by one of the options, the scheme put forward by the English Property Corporation and that the reason there was a choice at all was there because EPC now did not wish to go go ahead and was asking the council to approve Haslemere Developments taking it over.