Recent months have seen construction works for a new path along a stretch of the River Crane in Cranford. The path connects the A4 Bath Road with Waye Avenue Open Space, utilising a former riverside route that has not been accessible for a number of years.
The new path has actually been in the project pipeline for quite some time, indeed the concept of re-opening the route was first mooted over five years ago. The interest and initial momentum for doing so stemmed from the phenomenal rubbish-clearing efforts of Cranford Action Group (CAG) volunteers. It soon became a cause célèbre for CAG, CVP and other stakeholders who recognised the great amenity benefits to be gained from reinstating the connection. [This video shows the section of riverside in question in 2021.]
The concept was subsequently given some further impetus through the first phase of the ‘Reclaiming the Riverside’ Project when some vegetation clearance works were undertaken by TCV volunteers along the route. London Borough of Hounslow commissioned a path design and allocated funding for construction but a small strip of land along the route was not in council ownership so an ‘easement’ (a legal right allowing use of another party’s land for a specific, limited purpose without owning it) was also required. Easements can sometimes be quite complex to negotiate but the landowner was very supportive of the path concept which helped matters in this instance.
The extreme heat this summer has delayed the completion of the path – works had to stop temporarily because too much water was needed to set the gravel. However it is anticipated that the path will open to the public soon.
Once open, the new path will negate the need for pedestrians and cyclists travelling between the Bath Road and Waye Avenue Open Space to take a detour through a local housing estate, offering them instead some river vistas and the opportunity to spot some wildlife. This is not only good news for local people but also for people from further afield following Section 10 of the London Loop. The new path may also encourage more visitors to London Wildlife Trust’s nature reserve at Huckerby’s Meadows, which is accessible via a bridge from Waye Avenue Open space. The new path is also a great boost for CVP’s ambition to create a continuous walking and cycling route that follows the river (as much as possible) from its source in Harrow to the Thames.
The project provides a great example of local stakeholders working together to deliver amenity benefits, and the path is a testament to their vision and determination.