A proposal by the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park to turn Northwall Road into a ‘biodiverse’ linear park has received funding from the Mayor of London
Plans to turn a road blighted by antisocial behaviour into a green space have received funding from the Mayor of London.
The rewilding project, which is currently going through consultation, would turn Northwall Road into a linear park with routes for cycling, walking and wheeling.
Northwall Road, which sits in both the boroughs of Waltham Forest and Newham, was built to serve traffic during the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2012 and is part-owned by the Lee Valley Regional Park Authority (LVRPA) and the London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC).
Following the games, the road became disused and closed to traffic, and now LVPRA and LLDC have formed a partnership to turn into into a “green infrastructure route for walking, wheeling and cycling with better biodiversity and parkland.”
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In a consultation document for the project, the LVRPA describes Northwall Road and its immediate surrounding area as a “poor landscape with very little biodiversity or amenity value”.
The LVPRA adds: “Northwall road is a section of grey infrastructure that could be transformed with ‘green infrastructure’ into something more people and wildlife friendly. The site’s heritage of marshland and industry provides opportunities for rewilding and integration of the area back into the wider landscape.”
Rewilding plans include additional options for the native plant species, creating wildflower meadows, and incorporating habitats like bird and bat boxes, woodpiles, and hibernacula to support local wildlife.
Further rewilding efforts that are being explored include ‘human free’ areas left to naturalise, rain gardens and onsite water management, and natural play features such as woven willow, logs, and boulders.
The project will be designed by a landscape architect and is currently in public consultation until 24th November.
You can complete the consultation survey here. Consultations will be open until the 24th November
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