Campaigners turned their noses up to protest against plans to improve the appearance of a two-storey concrete podium.

Protesters wearing pig masks and waving placards bearing the words “A pig in lipstick is still a pig” gathered at Save our Skyline and Twickenham Residents’ Action Group’s weekly stall on Saturday. The group was highlighting grievances over redevelopment plans for Twickenham station.

The podium is set to become the foundations for high-rise apartment blocks, shops and restaurants and a new ticket office, proposed by Solum Regeneration - a joint venture between Network Rail and Kier Property - who are hoping to redevelop the station in time for the 2015 Rugby World Cup.

However, ammendments to add “decorative treatment” to the east side of the structure, visable from Mary’s Terrace, have been criticised by residents.

John Milner, who lives in the street, said: “You can wrap a bit of ivy a round an incredible hulk of concrete, but it is still an incredible hulk of concrete”.

More than 4,500 leaflets have been delivered to households in the area, revealing the developer’s plans for the site, which have also been ammended to include on eight-storey block and further high-rise blocks decreasing to four-storeys along the River Crane.

Nigel Carr, from Solum Regeneration, said: "The newsletter will help inform local people about the plans that we have submitted which will provide Twickenham with a modern new station with vastly improved accessibility to the platforms.

“We are still keen to listen to local people and the newsletter will contain a freepost response form for residents to let us know what they think about the plans that have been submitted.”

To find out more about Trag's campaign visit trag-sos.moonfruit.com.