CHANNELSEA RIVER GROUP WORK

The greenway is a urban greenpath that extends from Hackney to Beckton, cutting through the borough of Newham in east London. It gained form on the 19th century with the construction of an urban sewage system that linked the earsternmost parts of the Greater London at the time to the newly built Abbey Mills Pumping Station between the River Lea and the Channelsea River. Situated in a historically neglected area, the project was always overlooked by developers and had just enough budget to afford its maintanance and survival by the Newham council until the arrival of the Olympic Park and the redevelopment of Stratford. Located adjacent to the focus area of this intervention, it was expected that the whole area of West Ham would have been massively benefited by it. However, due to funding issues, most of the neighbourhood and thus the Greenway saw little to no change in its layout and environment. Recently, however, the aftermaths of COVID19 pandemic exacerbated the need for safe, environmentally friendly and aesthetically appealling open areas for recreation, commuting and to fight pollution levels, and how much the area lacked them. Hence, the Newham Council put forward a proposal to create their first Citizen’s Assembly in order to allow the local community to directly express and discuss their wishes and concerns regarding the future of the borough. One of the key topics assessed was the situation of the Greenway and how the community could reclaim it and turn it into the green area they actually need. Through a series of urban fabric analysis, character appraisal and mapping of the area, it was our task as planners to highlight the main issues and hidden potential of the area. Or main goal was not to simply design an intervention but to cater to the needs, will and constrains of the community with investigated and through our observations deliver a proposal that realistically matches what they are looking for.