Welcome
to the Twickenham Riverside website, put together and maintained
by local people who are concerned about the redevelopment of the old
swimming baths beside the Thames, and working to support the
planned River Centre.
Pictures
1 | Pictures 2 | 1980-2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | Letters | Contact
us | Reports | Useful
links | Council links
About
the Twickenham River Centre:
See below
for details. The River Centre will be a place where people of all
ages can learn about the environment, the river and sustainability,
learn to build a boat, fish or row, and watch the world from a great
café. If you'd like to go on our mailing list, please use the
form below to send us your email address. For letters and comments
on the River Centre, please see the Letters
page.
LATEST:
2 August
2008 - Environment Trust for Richmond upon Thames AGM: Video
The Trust's
AGM was held at the Orangery at Ham House on 19 June. The highlight
of the evening was the discussion between River Centre Patron Sir
David Attenborough and Bamber Gascoigne about the Thames, living
in Richmond, and the proposed Twickenham River Centre.
Sir David Attenborough and Bamber Gascoigne |
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Video
of the discussion of the River Centre (with contributions by
Joe Pecorelli and Angela Kidner):
Duration:
6 minutes, 30 seconds. A broadband internet connection is essential to
view this.
Technical facilities and editing kindly donated by Linkvision and Graham Skelton.
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Click
here for a brief report on the meeting.
16
June 2008 - River Centre update
Click
here for the latest River Centre brochure, with
news and the results of our survey at the public consultation
in February (.pdf, 1 page, 111KB).
15
April 2008 - Council Cabinet gives go-ahead on poolsite development
brief
Council
Website: Twickenham Riverside Regeneration (updated July
2008)
On 14 April,
the Cabinet voted unanimously to go ahead with the development brief
process for the poolsite. The draft development brief provides the
River Centre, the play area, public open space and enabling housing
development, with the majority of the parking moved from the Embankment
to the service road behind the site. Some work remains to be done
on the brief, and members of the public and some councillors expressed
concern at the massing and amount of the proposed housing: the enabling
development has to be kept to a minimum.
Nine members of the public spoke at the meeting, four from the River
Centre project team, four local residents who are generally in favour
of the development (subject to massing worries being addressed), and
one opposing. Three councillors also spoke, about the site in general,
the need to revive the town centre and fill not only the empty shops
but also the empty office space, and the educational benefits of the
River Centre for the whole community.
The Council Officer's report to the meeting is here (.pdf,
18 pages, 173KB) with appendices showing
a projected layout (.pdf, 2 pages, 159KB) and a summary
of the consultations (.pdf, 14 pages, 3.7MB, slow download). As
soon as the draft development brief becomes available online, we will
link to it.
Council
press release
See also, on the LibDems' website, Twickenham
Riverside: the Council's principal development objectives
9 Mar
2008 - River Centre Sponsors
Click
here for a complete list of the sponsors for the
River Centre, including the groups and individuals who are contributing
their support and are actively involved in making the Centre
happen.
13
- 17 Feb 2008 - Poolsite public consultation
The Council,
supported by the Environment Trust, held a 5-day consultation at
York House on the proposed development brief for the poolsite, followed
by a public meeting held by the Twickenham Society, the York House
Society, the River Thames Society and other amenity groups to discuss
the proposals in St Mary's Church on 18 Feb. More information on
the proposals is here on
the Council's website.
The exhibition included displays on the River Centre (for details, see
below), and a questionnaire - if you haven't completed one, please download
it here (.pdf, 2 pages, 92Kb), and give us your feedback on
what you'd like to see in the Centre.
Twickenham
River Centre conceptual sketch. To see the complete display drawing, click
here for medium-size and here
for BIG
Courtesy
Clive Chapman architects, © Clive Chapman
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What
is the River Centre? What will it offer?
- A
centre for education about the river and broader environment,
climate change and sustainability for people of all ages
and abilities, provided by Richmond Environment Network,
Thames Explorer Trust, River Thames Boat Project, Richmond's
Biodiversity Action Plan, Thames Landscape Strategy, and
other organisations.
- A
'one-stop shop' offering practical information and news about
the River Thames, sustainability and climate change, along
with exhibits by the Thames Landscape Strategy and organisations
with responsibility for the Thames, and displays giving information
on local water-based activities and clubs.
- A
hub for environmental volunteering, a home for the Environment
Trust, BTCV Richmond and Richmond Environment Network, a
base for other environmental voluntary organisations, giving
them access to mentoring, advice and equipment, and a centre
for volunteer training.
- A
home for HANDS (Help a Neighbour in Distress), a charity
providing the elderly and housebound with support and opportunities
for social interaction, and Richmond Volunteer Centre, matching
individuals willing to give their time with organisations
looking for support.
- Multipurpose
spaces for the activities of all of the above and for many
other local organisations, such as Twickenham Rowing Club,
and events, such as the Twickenham Festival, as well as a
children's playground, public toilets and a café open
to everybody.
- Permanent
displays about Twickenham's river heritage, linking it to
river-based sites in the upper Thames, such as the Henley
River & Rowing Museum, and the lower Thames, such as
the Docklands Museum.
- A
boathouse, providing public boat hire, maintenance and repair,
practical boatbuilding courses, water safety training, rowing
for the young and those with disabilities, work experience
for young people, and small boat storage, with a waterfront
pontoon to improve access to Twickenham from the river, encourage
river use and enable a ferry service linking with Richmond
and Teddington.
- All
in a flagship sustainable building, showcasing 'green' construction
methods and wider sustainability.
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Concept
diagram of the River Centre
Courtesy
Clive Chapman Architects, © Clive Chapman |
What
could the building be like?
The above diagrams by architect
Clive Chapman's practice show how the Centre could work, using
the way the lower levels of the poolsite flood at high tides, and
the 3 metre slope on the site from the Service Road to the Embankment.
- Entrance
from the Embankment at the lower level gives access to the
boat building area, and the storage for the shallop Jubilant,
plus the kiosk for boat rental on the river, and public toilets
and changing areas for river activities.
- A
timber ramp curves around the building and leads to the next
level, the entrance lobby and exhibition space, which looks
out over the public open space and down to the river
- This
leads into the café and restaurant area, overlooking
the playground - moved into place from the far end of the
site on one side. On the other side is the education area,
two flexibly built classrooms for accommodating school parties
and teaching groups.
- Above
this, accessible by stairs or the lift, is the lookout space,
with views up and down the river.
- At
the top of the building, at the back of the site, are offices
for environmentally-related volunteering groups.
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3 Jan
2008 - Environment Trust: River Centre Update
A summary from
Angela Kidner of the Trust's work on developing the River Centre in the
last year, including the activities and facilities it will provide. Read
it here (2 pages, 88KB).
23
Nov 2007 - On the Council website: Twickenham Riverside development
brief exhibition
The
page includes a short description of the parameters for producing
the development brief, and the project aims and the priorities for the
site.
In addition, there's a .pdf showing the panels that were at the consultations
in October and November - download
it here (6 pages, 845KB).
11
Nov 2007 - Briefing on Twickenham River Centre
 |
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With
an introduction by Sir David Attenborough, this two-page note:
- sets
out how the River Centre will breathe new life into the heart
of Twickenham;
- shows
what could be the design for the Centre;
- gives
a brief background on the poolsite and the work of the Environment
Trust;
- tells
how the Centre will be funded,
- provides
a detailed description of what the Centre will offer.
Download
the .pdf here (2 pages, 307KB) |
Oct
2007 - Sir David Attenborough becomes Patron of the Twickenham
River Centre
Sir David
Attenborough on Twickenham Riverside
Photo
courtesy Tricia de Courcy Ling
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Twickenham
River Centre: Breathing new life into the heart of Twickenham!
The River Centre is planned to be part of the public asset in the
redevelopment of the old swimming pool, beside the Thames in Twickenham.
The Centre will be a flagship eco building, where people of all
ages and backgrounds can find out about the river, the environment
and sustainability. The Centre will have a café open to
everybody, public toilets and an updated and expanded children's
playground. There will be facilities for boat hire, with a pontoon
on the river, openly accessible to the public. Opportunities for
people of all ages and abilities to gain hands-on experience of
the river environment and ecology on the foreshore or afloat.
The River Centre project is being developed by the Environment
Trust for Richmond upon Thames, led by Project Leader Angela
Kidner. The Trust is delighted that Sir David Attenborough, a long-time
resident of the Borough, has agreed to be the patron of the Centre. |
Clive
Chapman explains the River Centre model
Photo
courtesy Yvonne Hewett
|
Sir
David says, 'Fighting the impact of climate change is perhaps
the greatest challenge of this century. It's a matter for individual
responsibility as well as government action, and by making it
possible for everyone - particularly young people - to recognise
this, we can go some way towards preventing the situation worsening.
Understanding local eco-systems such as the River Thames through
activity and study is a brilliant way to bring home the message.
'The River Centre will be a focus for understanding and enjoying
what the river can provide, while encouraging a sense of personal
responsibility for its future. I am very pleased to be a part of
this innovative project, which brings together local groups and
national organisations to work towards ensuring a sustainable future.' |
River
Centre Background
With a track record in environmental conservation and education
and nearly 25 years of experience in finding ways to open up the
borough's heritage to the community, the Environment Trust, as
leader of a consortium of river-related organisations and river
users, was selected through the Twickenham Challenge competition
as the council's partner to oversee the community-use element of
the Twickenham riverside development.
The Environment Trust and its partners are committed to providing
a distinctive and sustainable community-focused building of high
architectural quality as part of the regeneration of the Twickenham
riverside area. |
Sir David
and some of the Project Team
Photo
courtesy Tricia de Courcy Ling |
Funding
the River Centre
The site for the River Centre will be leased from the council at
a peppercorn rent. The developer of the overall site will provide
the shell for the building. The Environment Trust will be responsible
for the fitout of the building and, through a management organisation
or charity, for the running of the River Centre when it is open.
City Bridge Trust has provided £91,000 in funding for project
development costs over the next three years. Further funding will
be sought from other charitable trusts, the Landfill Communities
Fund and local donors.
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Please see
our History 1980-2001 page for background
and the details of developments proposed for the pool site prior
to December, 2001; and the pages for 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007 for
events in those years.
Related
Links:
"The Public Consultations" - Jack Betteridge's
analysis from the 2001 consultations, still relevant
On this site you will also find:
1.
|
A history of
attempts to redevelop the derelict swimming baths site - with
key events from 1980-2001, 2002,
and 2003, 2004, 2005,
and 2006. |
2.
|
The October
1999 Report of the River Use Working Party,
looking at the site, its surroundings, and possible redevelopment
options. |
3.
|
The October
1999 Report of the Traffic and Parking Working
Party, looking at the impact of the development on traffic
flow and parking. |
4.
|
The Public
Consultations. Jack Betteridge's analysis of the
consultations, the methods and the results, in 2000 and 2001.
July 2001 |
5.
|
The April
2000 Report of the River
Centre Working Party. This interim document was delivered
to the Council on 13 April. |
6.
|
Rethink
on the Riverside - prepared for the Twickenham Society
Group of Local Societies and Individuals: Introduction and Full
Report (.pdf, 16 pages, 192kb). Sept 2002. |
7.
|
Twickenham
Society Group's Recommendations for the Poolsite Development
Brief - background and briefing on traffic,
parking, and difficult areas. .pdf, 7 pages, 90KB. August,
2007. |
To
go on our mailing list: 
If you
would like to receive email alerts when this website is updated with
news and information about the River Centre, please fill in the form.
The first two boxes (marked *) must be
completed. Your message will remain confidential, unless you permit
us to publish your comments by checking the box at the bottom of the
form. In that case your name, but not your email address, will be included.
Contact
Details
You can contact the Environment Trust on 020 8891 5455 or e-mail rivercentre@environmenttrust.co.uk.
If you have any problems with this website, please email riverside@rivercentre.org.uk
You
may also be interested in the information provided about this, and
related topics, on the following websites:
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