Residents are to “set the agenda” for the redevelopment of the controversial Twickenham Riverside site at a new consultation starting on Thursday.

The new Conservative administration at Richmond Council announced a “barefoot consultation” to try and get as many ideas for the former Twickenham Pool site as possible.

There will be a three-day event in the atrium at the Civic Centre, in York Street, Twickenham, from Thursday to Saturday where senior councillors and council officers will discuss the future of the town with residents. During the event residents will have the opportunity to record how they want to see that site - and other key parts of Twickenham, including the station - developed.

Councillor Nick True, leader of Richmond Council, said: “I call this a barefoot consultation as the agenda will be set by local people. It will be a very different type of council consultation.

“We have absolutely no preconceptions about what it will produce, it will be an open forum for people to tell us what they want.

“We want as many people as possible to come along, tell us exactly what they think.

“My only promise at this stage is that this council will listen and it will make major decisions with residents, not in spite of them.”

The Twickenham Pool site has been derelict since it closed in 1981.

The latest scheme put forward by the former Liberal Democrat council was for a River Centre and 32 homes on the land in a deal with Countryside Properties but the new administration scrapped that after winning the election. Earlier this month the council re-opend part of the site.

The decision to scrap the Countryside scheme was subject to a re-evaluation by the council’s finance and performance overview and scrutiny committee on Tuesday after it was called-in by Liberal Democrat councillors David Williams and Arnie Gibbons.

They said any decisions by the council should make reference to financial and planning constraints and a consultation should not be carried out until these were laid out.

Councillor Scott Naylor, who represents Twickenham Riverside ward, described the call in as a “theatrical performance” and Paul Chadwick, the council’s director of environment, said the issues raised by Couns Gibbons and Williams should be discussed later in the process when there was a new scheme.

Coun Nick True said the call-in process had delayed site surveys and was pushing any new scheme back even further.

The six Conservative councillors voted against referring the decision back to cabinet so it will now stand.

The consultation event will run from 10am until 10pm next weekend and Richmond United Group - a coalition of residents’ and interest groups - will be displaying its assessment method for the site, which includes details on planning and transport requirements.