While removing some shelves yesterday I unearthed a Whole Earth Catalogue and Epilogue and a copy of The Richmond & Twickenham Times with the attached picture of Dominic and John and this accompanying article on the front page.It is dated June 11 1976.
(clicking on the image wiil open it full size)
A caravan colony on the Grosvenor Road site — under the shadow of Regal House, where the Council has offices
COUNCIL IN THREAT TO BUY LAND
Unless Bovis. Ltd., owners of a large site in Twickenham, submit a planning appiication re-development in the next few months, the land will be acquired compulsorily by Richmond upon Thames Council.
Steps to effect this were taken at Wednesday night's meeting of the borough housing committee, when members were told that plans for the development of the site and adjoining land, for residential and office use, had made little progress and that the Grosvenor Road site should be acquired by the Council.
The committee also agreed that the acquisition of No. 8 Grosvenor Road and 7a Railway Approach should be made if possible by negotiation, otherwise by compulsory purchase.
Since the demolition of houses in Grosvenor Road, a number of caravans, and even a "tree house" have appeared there, and the Council will consider taking legal action about these under the Public Health Act.
Cllr. Harry Hall, Tory leader of the Council, said he had been "appalled" when he examined Gros¬venor Road recently.
Bovis, he said, had acquired the site in good faith a long time ago, but great pressure had had to be exerted by the Council to get some of the houses demolished, and so far, no plans had been put in for its re-development.
Any scheme would have to conform to a new road pattern, devised by the Council.
No longer . . .
"We've made up our minds that Twickenham cannot suffer any longer by the lack of development in Grosvenor Road, said Cllr. Hall. If no plans are submitted soon, the Council will acquire the site and develop it.
Cllr. Hall said this did not necessarily mean that Council houses would go up in Grosvenor Road. The details of possible future development had yet to be settled.
"It might be suitable to provide homes for young couples with children," said Cllr. Hall.
A complaint about the caravans and other un¬authorised dwellings which have gone up in Grosvenor Road, once the centre of a 'hippy" commune, was made at the general purposes committee on Tues-day, and Tory Cllr. Ken Warren said the caravans were there "illegally."
There are about a dozen caravans in Grosvenor Road, each housing an average of three people. They occupied derelict houses in the road until the buildings were de¬molished.
The caravan-dwellers say they have always been resi¬dents of Twickenham and want to be re-housed should they lose their homes. But they have not cut their names on the Council's housing list because, they say, they wish to remain together..
Chris