River Medway: Medway Valley Walk

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AINA CASE STUDY HEALTH, WELL-BEING, RECREATION AND SPORT River Medway: Medway Valley Walk Access for all and a series of circular walks help open up the riverside paths The River Medway is the longest river and longest navigation in Kent and forms part of the Environment Agency’s Medway Region. Once used for commercial trade, the river between Maidstone and Tonbridge is now a public navigation, and the Medway Valley Walk provides riverbank access through the 'Garden of England'. Using existing rights of ways, five shorter circular walks also link directly to the riverside. The Medway Valley Countryside Partnership, comprising Kent County Council, Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council, Maidstone Borough Council and the Environment Agency, works to encourage more people to enjoy and explore the 18 mile walk and its local countryside. Typical improvements have included widening the path, installing bridge ramps and removing stiles. Surfacing work to enable greater access for all has been undertaken in key areas on the edge of towns or villages. The partnership also secured £204,000 from partners and EU Interreg which allowed bank restoration by specialist contractors, installation of disabled fishing platforms and a large number of smaller access improvements. Local volunteers help the partnership too, and their work includes path clearance and installation of handrails. Relatively inexpensive, the collective result along the path has a great benefit for accessibility and enjoyment of the riverside. The Riverside Communities Project - funded by the Heritage Lottery, Ernest Cook Trust and the Bernard Sunley Charitable Foundation – developed as 2½ year project (2006-09) which engaged local people with their river in a programme of events, school workshops and interpretative work. An education pack, wildlife and heritage spotter guides and sensory walks were valuable outputs from the project. AINA www.aina.org.uk .

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T H A M E S V A L L E Y AARRCCHHAAEEOOLLOOGGIICCAALL S E R V I C E S S O U T H Ditton Laboratories, Kiln Barn Road, Ditton, Kent An archaeological desk-based assessment by Sean Wallis Site Code DLD10/104 (TQ 7160 5695) Ditton Laboratories, Kiln Barn Road, Ditton, Kent An Archaeological Desk-Based Assessment for Millwood Designer Homes Ltd by Sean Wallis Thames Valley Archaeological Services Ltd Site Code DLD 10/104 October 2010 Summary Site name: Ditton Laboratories, Kiln Barn Road, Ditton, Kent Grid reference: TQ 7160 5695 Site activity: Desk-based assessment Project manager: Sean Wallis Site supervisor: Sean Wallis Site code: DLD 10/104 Area of site: c. 1.95 ha Summary of results: The site lies in an area of low archaeological potential, as evidenced by the paucity of archaeological entries in the Kent HER. Much of the site has been considerably impacted upon by buildings associated with the Ditton Laboratory, and by the landscaping of the areas between these buildings. It is possible that sub-surface archaeological remains may have survived in the far eastern part of the site, which has not been significantly developed. If any archaeological mitigation is required, it may be appropriate for an archaeological watching brief to be carried out during groundworks in this area. This report may be copied for bona fide research or planning purposes without the explicit permission of the copyright holder Report edited/checked by: Steve Ford9 26.10.10 Steve Preston9 26.10.10 i TVAS (South),77a Hollingdean Terrace, Brighton BN1 7HB Tel.
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H Ad Low R Iver W
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Aylesford to Maidstone Walk
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Medway Valley Strategic Landscape Enhancement Plan
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