Grand Union Canal Southall Towpath Improvements Feasibility Study
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GRAND UNION CANAL SOUTHALL TOWPATH IMPROVEMENTS FEASIBILITY STUDY Have your say on these canalside focus areas: Spikes Bridge Park Bankside Southall Recreation Ground Havelock Road Canalside Park Glade Lane Canalside Park and Norwood Top Lock October 2020 Southall Canal Towpath Improvements – What do you think? developing plans We would like to hear your thoughts and suggestions on how we can improve these five Canal & River Trust (the Trust) is the charity who own and manage the Grand focus areas, so that we can develop the proposals Union Canal which runs through Southall. We believe that spending time by water to raise the funds to improve them. makes us happier and healthier. You might live or work in Southall, or you may use We want everyone in Southall to use and enjoy the benefits of the canal and its the canal towpaths for walking or cycling, or maybe towpaths. Working with and supported by Ealing Council and its Let’s Go Southall you live on board a canal boat – however you use, project we are currently doing some preliminary work to identify what actions are or would like to use, the canal and towpaths, we needed to improve the canal towpaths and accessibility to them in Southall. want to hear from you. You can give us your views by completing our short online questionnaire at Alongside the towpaths and access points themselves, we are at the early stages www.canalrivertrust.org.uk/southallhaveyoursay of exploring options to improve five focus areas along the canal and we would like to know what you think. With your input we will develop proposals and we hope to be able to seek funding to put them We are seeking your views on how to improve the canalside at the following areas: into place to make better canalside places for everyone in Southall. • Spikes Bridge Park • Bankside • Southall Recreation Ground • Havelock Road Canalside Park • Glade Lane Canalside Park and Norwood Top Lock This document describes the details of the focus areas and more information on the project can be found on our website www.canalrivertrust.org.uk/southallhaveyoursay. In partnership with: 2 King George’s Field YEADING BROOKSIDE River Brent’ Focus Area Spikes Bridge Park WEST MIDDLESEX GOLF CLUB A312 HANWELL SOUTHALL Focus Area A4020 Bankside Grand Union Canal Paddington Branch Focus Area Glade SOUTHALL Lane Canalside Park/ MINET Norwood Top Lock COUNTRY PARK Focus Area Havelock Road Canalside Park Focus Area HAYES & Southall Recreation HARLINGTON Ground Canal Bull’s Bridge Water Courses Junction NORWOOD GREEN M4 Focus Area M4 Grand Union Canal NORTH HYDE3 TRIM TRAILS AND LOOP ROUTES Walking FORMAL AND INFORMAL PLAY Outdoor gym Jogging stations EXERCISE Cycling Dog walking How can we create more special canal places in Activities for all IMPROVE SIGNAGE & Southall? ages and INTERPRETATION abilities INVESTIGATE OPPORTUNITIES AND INNOVATIVE WAYS TO ENABLE: • Creating attractive and inviting spaces on and around the canal FOOD GROWING • Linking the canal from nearby areas Edible planting • Improving the environment Community orchards • Providing opportunities to enjoy the canal and connect with the water and nature • Providing opportunities to connect with others and enjoy family time outdoors Directional • Provide nice places to wander, dwell, exercise signs and information • Link community culture and the canal boards Family gatherings WILDLIFE Bat boxes ENHANCEMENTS SOCIALISE Bug hotels Bird watching Bird boxes Cultural, Art Volunteering and and Heritage social events Wildflower Rain-gardens events meadows 4 GRAND UNION CANAL SOUTHALL TOWPATH IMPROVEMENTS FEASIBILITY STUDY SPIKES BRIDGE PARK 5 EXISTING SITUATION • Well used and maintained sports facilities. • Limited interaction between the park and the canal. Southall Municipal Sports Ground • Limited visibility of the canal or the park. • Peaceful space on the canal. • Surrounded by green spaces. • Lack of well maintained signage. Orchid Close Towpath Grand Union Canal Paddington Arm Spikes Bridge Park Not to Scale 6 VISION OPPORTUNITIES A park that has stronger visual and physical connections to the canal. A canalside that • Open up key views between the park and the canal. is used for exercise, community activities, • Install new signage showing maps of the park and the and which has improved wildlife habitats and routes to other open spaces in the neighbourhood signage. and further along the canal. • Create areas along the canalside for natural play and keeping fit. • Create gardens that can be planned, planted and cared for by the community and volunteer groups. • Plant areas of wildflower meadow and orchard. ...what opportunities are most important to you? ? 7 Potential area for canalside Potential to create new Potential for prominent seating, community gardens / access points to the towpath access points orchard, and sculpture or art trail. towpath and improve/ manage planting 0 10 30 50 Southall Municipal Sports Ground Spikes Bridge Park Inter-visibility Orchid Close Orchid Create more views between the park and the canal, and make the towpath feel safer Potential area for outdoor by removal of some areas of Directional signs gym, trim trail and natural vegetation and maps i.e. wildlife ...what would you like play, plus space for information signs or community gardens and to see here? wildlife treasure hunt orchard ...if you could change Towpath Improved visibility Other pedestrian and one thing, what would cycle routes Potential formalised access point that be? Potential activity zone Additional directional signs Additional vegetation and/ or existing vegetation management 8 www.canalrivertrust.org.uk/southallhaveyoursay GRAND UNION CANAL SOUTHALL TOWPATH IMPROVEMENTS FEASIBILITY STUDY BANKSIDE 9 EXISTING SITUATION Bankside • The area is popular for boat mooring, especially in winter. • The recent improvements to the towpath surface have increased the through-flow of pedestrians and cyclists. • Bankside provides access to Blair Peach Primary School and the Hayes Bridge Allotments. Access to the canal • The area’s popularity for feeding swans has led to from Uxbridge Road problems with litter and rodents. Uxbridge Road access • Various community organisations working with Hayes Bridge Hayes the Trust and Ealing Council to clear litter, clearing Bankside vegetation and replanting the access point • Ongoing anti-social behaviour issues Allotments Towpath • Mural due to be painted on north bridge abutment Uxbridge Road access Grand Union (local artist) Uxbridge Rd Canal Swan feeding area Not to Scale Beresford Rd 10 VISION OPPORTUNITIES An attractive, accessible, safe and well-used • Swan feeding area is retained and clearing marked canalside that has a strong local identity and with better signage. increased sense of community ownership. A space • Improved pedestrian crossings over Bankside. that is used by all for social gathering, onward movement and community activity. • More areas of seating, which don’t affect those using the towpath. • Improvements to the existing canalside vegetation (such as growing space) that can be planned, planted and cared for by the community and volunteer groups. • Improvements to signage and information boards. • Mooring space for a community and/or commercial travel boat. ...what opportunities are most important to you? ? 11 Area for potential seating, bird feeding and community activity, alongside improvements to the the existing access points and better definition and separation Better definition of the bird feeding of the residents’ parking from the canalside area and new information boards Potential thinning of the existing vegetation to improve the sense of safety for users Improved pedestrian crossings over of the towpath near the bridge, Bankside (ensuring that users remain safe to enhance biodiversity and to when nearing the water’s edge) create areas for community managed growing space Hayes Bridge Bankside Uxbridge Rd Directional signs and Create areas along the maps e.g. wildlife back of the towpath for Mooring site- ...what would you like information signs or seating and community potential for Consider wildlife treasure hunt managed growing space. commercial/ possibilities of to see here? community planting street boat trees to ‘break-up’ continuous car ...if you could change Towpath Improved visibility park line Other pedestrian and Potential formalised access one thing, what would cycle routes point Potential activity zone Additional directional signs that be? Additional vegetation and/ or existing vegetation management 12 www.canalrivertrust.org.uk/southallhaveyoursay GRAND UNION CANAL SOUTHALL TOWPATH IMPROVEMENTS FEASIBILITY STUDY SOUTHALL RECREATION GROUND 13 EXISTING SITUATION • Strong tree line along the edge of the Recreation Ground • Well maintained and used community facilities in the park including playground and outdoor gym. • Lack of a formal access between the Recreation Ground and towpath discourages connections between them. Southall Recreation • Narrow towpath with uneven surface, can be Ground muddy. • Visually evident anti-social behaviour along towpath, such as littering and dog fouling Road Leamington • Poor existing vegetation management • Mooring currently discouraged by shallow canal depth alongside towpath • Limited or no directional signage • Potential safety issues on western side of North Hyde Lane Bridge due to informal crossing of road The Common Grand Union Canal and steep vegetated slope to reach towpath. Stratford Rd Towpath North Hyde Lane Bridge The Common Not to Scale The Old Oak Tree Existing