Editing Twickenham (section)

==Economy==

As Twickenham is a London suburb, many local residents commute to [[central London]] or work locally in retail, hospitality, education or for one of the many professional firms based in the area. London Heathrow Airport is important to the local economy both through direct employment and the cluster of international firms that have their European headquarters in the Thames Valley area.  Unemployment in the area is very low, however there is a big difference in the salaries earned by residents who work inside the borough, compared to those whose employment is based outside.

The council has been making efforts to regenerate Twickenham town centre which has been struggling due to strong competition from [[Hounslow]], [[Richmond, London|Richmond]] and [[Kingston upon Thames]].  It differs from most town centres as it has fewer retail shops, particularly chain stores, and more cafes, restaurants, banks and estate agents.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.richmond.gov.uk/adopted_twickenham_area_action_plan_july_2013.pdf|title= Twickenham Area Action Plan|date= July 2013|access-date= 2 February 2018|publisher= [[London Borough of Richmond upon Thames]]|url-status= live |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20131109135820/http://www.richmond.gov.uk/adopted_twickenham_area_action_plan_july_2013.pdf|archive-date= 9 November 2013|df= dmy-all}}</ref>  There has been a comprehensive scheme of town centre improvements including repaving in [[Yorkstone]], a new arts centre, and improved gardens and riverside walk.  However, plans to build a barge house for ''[[Gloriana (barge)|Gloriana]]'' at Orleans Gardens<ref>{{cite web|author=Cumber, Robert |url=http://www.getwestlondon.co.uk/news/local-news/boost-brentford-twickenham-says-no-7759466 |title=Boost for Brentford as Twickenham says no to royal barge Gloriana |publisher=Get West London |date=12 September 2014 |access-date=2 February 2018}}</ref> and to move the youth centre out of Heatham House so the building could be converted into a hotel proved controversial and were dropped.