TWICKENHAM POOLSITE HISTORY, 2005

For the story of the pool's closure in 1980 and attempts to develop it until the end of 2001, see the 1980-2001 page. See the 2002 page the 2003 page, the 2004 page, and the 2006 page for those years. See the Home Page for events in 2007.

20 November, 2005 - Wind Power on Twickenham Riverside?

The Council have announced intention of putting two 6.5 metre wind turbines on the Riverside, despite the fact that it's a sheltered area surrounded by trees.

Council Press Release

Twickenham Online: report and chance to comment

BWEA - British Wind Energy Association - information on wind turbines

BWEA - Siting a Wind Turbine (particularly interesting)

4 June 2005: Pictures of the Jubilee Gardens playground

See Picture Gallery 2 for the opening of the Jubilee Gardens and play area, and the way they look.

1 June 2005: The new landscaped space, the playground, café and toilets were officially opened by the Mayor. See Twickenham Online for a report, and the Council's site for the press release on the opening of the Jubilee Gardens. See below for notes on additional improvements which will be carried out in the area, in the short term.

Other news:

Website: the Riverside now has a section on the Council website, "Twickenham Riverside Regeneration". Though it's currently under development, it will have updates and much useful information.

Brochure: the Council has published a glossy 14-page brochure on the regeneration, listing the groups selected for the Twickenham Challenge to make the most of the public benefit of the scheme (15-20% of the site):

They are:

1. The Duke of Edinburgh's Award Centre
2. Laura Sevenus Swimming School
3. Busen Anglo-Japanese Club
4. Environment Trust - Twickenham River Centre

29 April, 2005

Twickenham Online: Poolsite - emerging futures Full report, including Council leader Tony Arbour's responses to questions on the riverside and the derelict public toilets.

	The new café and toilets have arrived and were craned into place on 26 April. See Picture Gallery 2 for more photos.
	Twickenham Riverside: outline proposal for the Mayor's 100 open spaces, by James Deasley, RIBA Imaginative design for the long term for the Riverside, including abundant public open space and sufficient enabling development to make the scheme work.

16 April, 2005

The large hornbeam at the corner of Wharf Lane and the service road, a landmark of the pool site, has been destroyed, despite the major trees on the pool site having Tree Preservation Orders.

Hornbeam 30/10/04. enlarge

A senior council officer has said: "The retaining walls containing the roots of the tree are perished and must be replaced "The removal of the walls to permit rebuilding would create a very significant risk that the tree would topple "Even if it were possible to retain the tree and rebuild the retaining walls to the roots, there would still be a very significant risk that the tree would fall. "Clearly, this is an unacceptable hazard in any location. A replacement tree will be agreed with the Arboriculture Manager & Planning Dept."

It appears that there no specific survey has been done of the trees on the pool site, and no report was made on this tree or any possible danger it posed - or what measures could have been taken to preserve it, or to reinforce the retaining walls.

Significantly, the retaining walls are NOT being replaced: some of the existing concrete is being used as the base for a new brick wall that was started on 15 April.

More pictures
Full report on Twickenham Online, plus Vox Pop opinions
Council leaflet on the Twickenham Riverside Conservation Area
Council website: "Trees and Tree Section" with an interesting header, "Trees need love, too".
Council website: "Tree FAQs" (frequently asked questions), including details on Tree Preservation Orders and obligations to replace felled trees.

29 March, 2005 - The London Catchment Abstraction Management Strategy (CAMS)

The Environment Agency is reviewing the management of water resources in the London area as part of a scheme to produce strategies for all catchments in England and Wales over a six-year period. (Water abstraction is the removal, permanently or temporarily, of water from rivers, canals, reservoirs or underground strata.)

The CAMS leaflet (.pdf, 2 pages, 86kB) provides the opportunity to register interest and make comments or suggestions at this early stage in the development of the strategy for the London catchment. They are particularly interested to hear about the issues that are important to the community in relation to management of water resources in the London area.

Update: 21 March, 2005

Work is proceeding on the children's play ground at the Wharf Lane end of the pool site and the larger pieces of equipment have been installed.

Further Update: 27 February, 2005

CAFÉ PLANNING APPLICATION

NEW: Twickenham Online have a report and pictures of the café.

Dearle & Henderson have applied for planning permission for the café with a small allocation of toilets (three cubicles) within the children's play area. Planning Application 05/0251/FUL. The Council are soliciting comments, which had to be submitted by 23 February.

Notice of the Application, on the Council's website
The Application (.pdf, 4 pages, 193kB)
Drawings, including elevations from the Embankment, the Cafe, and the seating area (.pdf, 2.4MB - may take a long time to download)

EUGENA: LETTER TO THE COMMUNITY
Eugena, the contractors who are doing the work on the poolsite, have written to local residents and businesses with a progress report. The letter is attached (.pdf, 60kB).

THAMES LANDSCAPE STRATEGY - LONDON'S ARCADIA
Jason Debney of the TLS has revealed the Strategy's plans for Twickenham Riverside, including replacing the existing chestnut trees and decayed planters with new trees in new landscaping.
TLS London's Arcadia
Urban Projects (including Twickenham Riverside)
Plans for Twickenham River Front (.pdf 518kb).

Update: 11 January, 2005

Demolition seems to be completed - see the picture gallery. Work is starting to mark out the children's play area at the corner of Wharf Lane and the service road.

Knocking down the pool frontage has opened up the whole area and showing how important it is that the pool site is kept as open space that everyone can enjoy. The distinctive shapes of the trees along the service road - mainly hornbeams - stand out clearly. One of the best views of the pool site is from the Eel Pie bridge.

Picture gallery

Time permitting, the Gallery is updated to provide a record of the construction process at the old swimming pool. There are also photos of the surroundings, the narrow access roads, the pool site before work started, and the demolition.

Demolition complete, 4/12/04. Click for a larger image.

The poolsite & surroundings Click for a larger image

Construction begins, 05/02/05. Click for a larger image.

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