Last November we publicised the continuing lack of access to a stretch of our local riverside – fenced off from the public since the moorings were concreted in 2009. This January, after more than five years, the ‘temporary’ paling and mesh fence was at last removed, and riverbank access restored.
The picture below shows the riverbank reopened. We think removing the fence and undergrowth is a positive step — the view is restored, and people can walk or sit on the riverbank again. Although perhaps a tree or two would be nice?
The sorry state of the riverbank had been a growing concern to local residents, with tangled undergrowth obstructing views of the Thames – here it is pictured in autumn 2014, with the paling and wire mesh fence:
And below is how it looked in 2009 before the riverside trees were cut down by the Environment Agency as part of the concrete moorings project:
Here is how we reported the situation in Autumn 2014
