How has the borrowing shortfall ballooned to £37 million on the Twickenham Riverside shambles?

There is not enough space in a short post to do justice to the hatrick of incompetence, lack of vision, and financial ineptitude on show when you walk past the fenced off hole in the ground that should be the pride of Twickenham.

In typical Lib Dem fashion we are now paying more for less.  The borrowing shortfall has ballooned to £37 million, and large parts of the 2019 design competition schemes have been stripped out.  Gone are:

• underground car park, 82 existing spaces are also going which will increase parking pressure on surrounding streets

• The striking amphitheatre design is now an unremarkable linear "blocky" disappointment

• the number of housing units has been reduced from 54 to 45

• The commercial space has been reduced from 2,750 sq m to 1,363sq m

So fewer businesses, fewer shops, and less space for riverside dining.  Fewer houses and less trade creates less revenue leaving Council Tax bills  higher than they need to be.  

For those of us who have followed the Lib Dem performance for years none of this is a surprise.  Yes it is great that finally (planning permision was given in 2022) something is being built but how are they losing so much of our money delivering such a prime riverside site?