Plans to develop a new town centre in Twickenham were revealed today following the council’s £6m purchase of three riverside properties and a car park in King Street and Water Lane.

The properties, currently occupied by Santander, M&Co, Superdrug and some offices, could be transformed into a new public square, linking the riverside with the High Street. 

A design competition will be launched to encourage professional architects to put their ideas forward.

Leader of the council Lord True said the separation of Twickenham town and the riverside had led to an under-appreciation of the area’s unique qualities.

He said: “By acquiring the properties, the council is fulfilling a promise to enable the creation of a new heart and square for Twickenham that will unite town and river again.”

Some of the criteria potential architects are asked to bear in mind for their designs are a large town square for commercial and local market activity, a style complementary to surrounding retail streets, and an area for a potential performance space or amphitheatre on the Embankment.

Lord True added: “We hope to attract some of Britain’s best architects to submit ideas for our town, respecting its history, its intimate scale and the beauty of the river.

“This could be a lasting legacy for generations.”