Having been wedged in between both Richmond and Kingston, which both boast a variety of shops and activities, Twickenham, minus the rugby, has long seemed to be neglected. In an attempt to change this, Solum have been in talks of redeveloping Twickenham Station from as early as December 2011. The promise of retail units, a plaza and a more accessible station, at first seemed like it would be greatly beneficial to Twickenham and would play a crucial role in giving the town a more desirable pull, particularly for fans who flock to the Rugby at Twickenham Stadium. Especially during the Rugby World Cup, Twickenham becomes a kennel of fans, which it quite frankly, does not have the facilities to accommodate. This has only been hindered by the slow-paced rebuild of the station. The station’s redevelopment caused great frustration amongst residents of the Twickenham community. Arguably, Twickenham is in need of an upgrade, however instead of using the new station and area surrounding it to establish more amenities for the town, instead the developers have chosen to invest in building three storeys worth of flats above the station. Solum plans to create 115 new apartments with the development of the station, all of which they will rent out to make profit. It is the building of these flats that have indeed prolonged the building process, further exacerbating the hassle for Twickenham residents to travel to and from work or school every day. Despite several complaints and a court case led by the TRAG (Twickenham Residents Action Group), the local government overruled these disputes and commenced the redevelopment of Twickenham station just after the last Rugby World Cup in Spring 2017, promising to unveil a brand-new complex by Autumn 2019. It is now November 2019, and work on the station still appears to be far from complete. Twickenham, with an undoubtedly lacking high street, needs a boost. But is the development of more flats really the best way to achieve this? There were so many other plans that had been put forward, ideas for a youth centre, community spaces etc which were tossed aside. Either way, the development of the station is indeed a ‘milestone’ for Twickenham, with the potential to create a new image for the town. The deadline has been extended and has announced the new opening to be during 2020. Perhaps, the redevelopment of the station with the introduction of a new decade will be a turning point for Twickenham. By Zoe Wreford