Wounded land

I still find it hard to believe that somebody though that cutting a straight wide avenue through the large wooded area of Ham Lands was a good idea and even harder to understand why people who should know better allowed it to happen. The London's Arcadia project has done some good things but they are all more than offset by this single act of wanton destruction.

The wound was very deep and bleak when I first recorded it in December 2007 and the satellite view from June 2008 revealed the full brutality.

Things are slightly better now with the bushes slowly edging their way back towards their friends on the other side of the divide but the wear and tear of the path means that the wound may get better but it will never heal.

Petersham Avenue closed

The incessant drive to "improve" paths that do not need improvement has now reached Petersham Avenue which runs between Ham Polo and Petersham Road, passing the German School as it does so. I only hope that the new surface is not as brash and structured as some other new paths have been, we need country paths not urban pavements.

Bridge foundations

The size of the foundations for the new, unwanted and unnecessary bridge from the tow path to Douglas Footpath suggest that it is going to be as big and unattractive as the one built by Ham House. Again, London's Arcadia is the villain here.

Resurfacing

As feared, Richmond Council is going ahead with the plans to resurface the gloriously muddy and impassable Douglas Footpath, despite the fact that there are alternative dry routes as the sign confesses.

Destruction in Ham Lands

I have made several comments about the vandalism in Ham Lands by Richmond Council and other authorities and this satellite view clearly shows the worst example. The straight line cut through the large wooded area in clearly an unnatural scar through an area whose beauty comes from its nature.

Wounded land

The worst (of many) acts of vandalism done in the name of London’s Arcadia is this line cut through the largest wooded area in Ham Lands. The justification given for this is that it offers views across the river to Teddington, i.e. the white dot at the end of the path. It was not worth it.

Grim reaper

As feared, the recent works to align the trees in Great South Avenue has enabled Richmond Council to be even more brutal than before and to cut the verge even further back, turning what was a cosy country path into a boring track that is wider than a road.

Melancholy

The Council vandals have been out and cut Melancholy Walk back to the tree line. This is just ugly.

Flooding by Ham House

The area in front of Ham House floods a little on every reasonably high tide, i.e. several times a month which makes the path to/from the river (crossing left to right in the middle of the picture) rather wet but it is usually passable with care. There are worrying stories that this path might be included in the monstrous London’s Arcadia project and a dry walkway installed, as one has nearby and is also proposed for Douglas Footpath.

Ham Street car park

As expected, the new car park at the end of Ham Street is a brutal addition to the area. It is a large grey wound in the middle of the lush Ham Lands either side of it.

New trees in Great South Avenue

Things are starting to look a little better in Great South Avenue with the planting of new trees but, clearly, they are a lot smaller than the trees that they replace and overall impression of the new landscaping is of extreme formality.

Volunteers

The work on Great South Avenue continues, this time it is volunteers working on a Sunday. So far all the work has been clearing and so the path now looks wide, empty and boring. I hope that the planting to come will improve things but am not optimistic.

Car park "refurbishment"

The car park by the river at the end of Ham Street used to be a mixture of mud and stones but now it is being transmuted into something else that will probably be more solid, less natural and will divide Ham Lands into two parts. This looks like it could be another act of destruction billed as reconstruction by the London's Arcadia project.

Do not level mound

The mound in question is of wood chippings from the destruction of trees in Great South Avenue but I have no idea why anybody would even think of levelling them or why this is such a dire prospect that two red norices are required.

New railings in Great South Avenue

One of the early signs of work in Great South Avenue is the new railings along the boundary with Grey Court School. They are not very exciting railings but they are better than the chain-link fence that they replace. There used to a gap in the fence just here that children used as a short-cut into the school but that has now been taken away from them.

Logs and chippings

I hope that it works out in the end but so far the "improvement" works in Great South Avenue consist mostly of cutting down mature trees. The logs are being left behind to house beetles etc. and the chippings cover most of the area so what is actually a path looks more like a saw-mill.

New fence in Great South Avenue

Work is now well under way on the "improvements" to Great South Avenue and this includes a new wooden fence along the east side at the south end. Hopefully it will soon weather to a darker shade and/or be hidden by plants.

Slow start in Great South Avenue

Two weeks into the works in Great South Avenue, as part of the London Arcadia project, and the only sign of anything being done is that some new fencing has arrived. The notice on the top asks people not to steal the fencing. We'll see what happens!

Great South Avenue will be closed

There was a recent consultation on the planting in Great South Avenue (from Ham Common to Sandy Lane) which said lots about all the new plants but nothing about having to close this popular path for three months!!

Proposed planting for Great South Avenue

These are the detailed proposals by London's Arcadia for the revised planting of Great South Avenue between Sandy Lane and Ham Common. I do not like many of London's Arcadia's proposals for Ham as they tend to replace wilderness with formality (such as the hideous new footbridge by Ham House) and Great South Avenue has also been mismanaged in recent years (e.g. the short-lived barrier between the footpath and the bridle path), and these proposals seem to be more of the same. I like this path as it is and do not want to see it changed to the boring formality of Melancholy Walk.