COMPLETING the restoration of a piece of history, HRH The Prince of Wales visited Hampton Court Palace last week.

He arrived at the main entrance where he was greeted by the new mayor of Richmond upon Thames, Cllr Pat Parsons, before walking through the palace.

School children and visitors stopped in their tracks, lining the path to get a glimpse of the prince who stopped to chat to a lucky few.

After meeting some of the staff at the palace it was time for the ceremony to begin.

Planting the final tree in an avenue of lime trees the prince added the finishing touch to a restoration project costing nearly £200,000 which began in October 2003.

The double avenue of lime trees flanking the Long Water Canal were landscaped by Charles II in the 1660s as a gift to his new wife, Catherine of Braganza.

These ancient specimens were long past their prime, suffering from disease and decaying, leaving an unsustainable and dying avenue of trees and a conservation challenge for Historic Royal Palaces, the charitable trust responsible for Hampton Court Palace.

Shovelling three spades of soil onto the base of the tree Prince Charles wished it luck in its life and watched on as Her Majesty's Chaplain of Hampton Court, Reverend Dennis Mulliner, blessed it.

There was then time for a quick wander through the palace's Privy Garden which the prince opened in 1995, before he set sail down the Thames.

Tentatively climbing down steep steps from the tow path Prince Charles joined members of the Thames Landscape Strategy- a 100-year conservation blueprint for the west London stretch of the river - and the Environment Agency as they travelled to Richmond in celebration of the strategy's 10th anniversary.

Standing on the top deck of the Windrush - the Environment Agency's royal patrol boat - the prince donned his sunglasses and listened as Jason Debney, co-ordinator of the strategy, explained the work that has been going on.

Michael Fit, deputy chief executive of the Royal Parks, who has been involved in the strategy since its inception, said: “Prince Charles said it was a shame that it is something you don't see happening, most improvements are on going.”

As the boat passed under Kingston bridge the prince's vessel moored up alongside the Richmond Venturer - a barge set up for young people with special needs.

Stepping aboard Prince Charles greeted staff and took time to talk to children from Bedelsford special needs school in Grange Road, Kingston.

Then it was time to continue the journey to Richmond, with one more stop at Teddington lock.

As the prince's boat lowered in the lock he chatted with the lock keepers and members of Teddington Lifeboat crew.

And then it was time to head for dry land, the prince waving to people lining the banks to catch a glimpse of him as he went.

Docking in Richmond he took a short walk down the tow path before being whisked away to a garden party at Holly Lodge, Richmond Park.

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After the extensive consultation earlier this year, developers St George have come up with their third revised plan for the derelict site near Kew Bridge, commonly known as the Scottish Widows land.

At the last consultation session held in February this year, St George's plans received almost unanimous condemnation from residents and local groups. According to the developers, these revised plans make further changes to the revisions submitted in October 2003 which had already seen major changes from the original scheme submitted in April 2003.

The important changes since October 2003 include a major redesign of the elevation fronting the Thames.

The distance between the river elevation and the river has been increased by a further 4.8 metres creating a distance of 10.8 metres between the building and the edge of the river tow path from the river bringing it in line with the commercial building next door.

The tow path has also been widened from 2 metres to between 3 to 4 metres and the step back of the development at the river edge has been reduced in height by one storey so that the scheme now rises from three storeys at the river side up to six storeys into the site. The revised design also reflects a more traditional warehouse style, in keeping with historic riverside development. The elevation on Kew Bridge Road has seen significant design changes including changes to reflect the staggers and proportions of the terraced housing opposite. The height of this part of the scheme has been reduced to five seven storeys with two storeys having been removed closest to the public house. The scheme now comprises 250 residential apartments (150 private 100 affordable) and 1,940 sq m of commercial floor space and there are 175 car parking spaces.

The public square in the middle of the development now measures 34 x 30m. The height of the development rises from three storeys nearest the river, to five-seven storeys along Kew Bridge Road.

The corner building is still designed to provide a new landmark for the gateway to Brentford, Richmond and Chiswick. St George West London Limited confirmed that these revisions have been submitted for the vacant Scottish Widows site adjacent to Kew Bridge in the London Borough of Hounslow.

Tony Carey, Managing Director of St George plc told the Times: “We have made a large number of very significant changes to this scheme since we first submitted proposals in April 2003. We have demonstrated that we are a listening developer, and have made changes alongside the river, to the view from Strand on the Green to the landmark corner building and in relation to Kew Bridge Road elevations. We believe that the scheme meets the key principles of Hounslow's Planning and Urban Design Statement for the site which was adopted in September 2001.

“The development provides delivery of much needed homes for Hounslow, a major new public square alongside the river for people to enjoy, with shops, restaurants, cafes and offices which will provide new local facilities and jobs.”

However, a spokesman for Brentford Community Council said: “The BCC is concerned that St George's latest adjusted plans should not be considered as somehow nearing the end of the consultation process with all points duly addressed, as implied by Hounslow Council's Planning Officer, Frank Jenna. These latest plans may be an improvement, but are they truly the best that can be devised for this exceptional location?”

Alan Sheerins, of Green Dragon Lane added: “It is still too bulky and too high.”

There will be considerable overshadowing of the houses and flats along Kew Bridge Road, and I believe there will still be a traffic management problem with the site and it is still not a suitable landmark building.”

Thousands of revellers crowd onto Oxford's historic Magdalen Bridge to celebrate as dawn breaks on May Day.