Last weekend, with the first drop-in sessions at Orleans House under way, the controversial Gloriana could be seen moored in the Twickenham sunshine.

The consultation has been open for just under a month and Richmond Council will continue to seek residents' views until the end of August.

Tuesday's full council meeting, held in Clarendon Hall to the backdrop of campaigners, saw 15 Gloriana-related public questions asked.

Mandie Adams McGuire, from Friends of Orleans Riverside, called on the council to consider changing its consultation to include a simple yes/no question.

However, leader of the council Lord True said he was not prepared to make changes to the consultation at this stage.

He said: "I don't think it would be justified to start it all over again, I think question two [of the consultation] asks very clearly if people think the site is appropriate.

"I think that is a clear question and allows for a clear yes/no answer."

Despite vocal opposition from residents' groups and campaigners, intrigued visitors turned up at the Hammerton's Ferry pier to admire the Queen's Royal Row Barge, used during the Diamond Jubilee celebrations.

But concerns continue to be raised about a lack of detailed plans and dimensions from architects, Fosters and Partners, for the boathouse which would provide a permanent home for the divisive vessel.

Lord True said: "This is a pre-planning consultation and detailed drawings will have to come forward for planning at a later stage.

"It would be quite wrong not to have some emerging conceptual designs prepared by the architects for consultation and that is what has been put forward."

Mary Farmer questioned the leader on whether it was appropriate for the council to be investing £1m of its own money into the project.

He replied: "This presented a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to enable the presence of that asset [Gloriana] in the borough."

The feasibility study into various different sites across the borough was published on the council's website last week.

It identified Buccleuch Gardens, the Gothic Site in Petersham Road, existing boatyards and Marble Hill Park/Orleans Gardens as potential locations but only the latter was deemed suitable.

Since the uproar about the plans, let slip early by Lord True at a council event, Hounslow Council has put Brentford forward as an alternative site.

A Freedom of Information request to the council from Sasha Katarina revealed a chain of emails sent from Lord True, dating back to April 2012.

In response to the sender, he described his ambitions of "a Crystal Palace for a fairy craft" and his will to create a unified riverside park within Twickenham.