Rosebery Housing Association Ltd
Hogsmill / Watersedge River Development
Draft Feasibility Report
April 2003
Halcrow Group Ltd
Rosebery Housing Association Ltd
Hogsmill / Watersedge River Development
Draft Feasibility Report
April 2003
Halcrow Group Ltd

Halcrow Group Limited

Burderop Park Swindon Wiltshire SN4 0QD

Tel +44 (0)1793 812479 Fax +44 (0)1793 812089

has prepared this report in accordance with the instructions of their clientfor their sole and specific use. Any other persons who use any information contained herein do so at their own risk.

© Halcrow Group Limited 2018

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Halcrow Group Limited

Burderop Park Swindon Wiltshire SN4 0QD

Tel +44 (0)1793 812479 Fax +44 (0)1793 812089

Hogsmill / Watersedge River Development

Draft Feasibility Report

Contents Amendment Record

This report has been issued and amended as follows:

Status / Date / Name / Position / Signed
Draft / April 2003 / Stephen Dangerfield / Project Manager

Contents

1Introduction

1.1Background to Study

1.2Aim and Objectives of the Study

1.3Methodology

1.4Consultation

2Study Area Conditions and Targets

2.1Introduction

2.2Social, Amenity and Public Access

2.3Landscape

2.4Ecology

2.5Heritage and History

2.6Water

3Enhancement Options

3.1Site Vision

3.2Option A – Do Nothing

3.3Option B – Do Minimum

3.4Option C – Full Option

3.5Option D – Partial Option

4Feasibility of Options

4.1Technical Feasibility

4.2Further Work (Surveys and Site Investigation)

4.3Cost Estimates

4.4Consents, Licences and Legislation

4.5Post-construction Issues

5References

Appendices

Appendix AFigures

Appendix BExisting plant species and recommended planting

Appendix CLandscape sketches and cross-sections

Appendix Dlandscape master plans (Options C and D)

Appendix EGIS Information

Figures

Figure 1Location Plan and Study Area

Figure 2Site Features

Figure 3Access and Site Compound Options

Tables

Table 1.1Consultation Responses

Table 2.1Sites on Nature Conservation Importance in the Study Area

Table 2.2Protected Species in the Study Area

Table 2.3Biodiversity target Species in the Study Area

Table 2.4Heritage Features in the Study Area

Table 4.1Services Search Responses

Table 4.2Option C (Full Option) Cost Estimate

Table 4.3Option D (Partial Option) Cost Estimate

1Introduction

1.1Background to Study

The Hogsmill River has in the past been subject to modification in the form of channel straightening and realignment as part of land drainage and flood alleviation schemes during the 1950s. However, the river still has a large proportion of its river corridor intact, which is unusual for such a highly urban river.

The Hogsmill River has in the past been identified by the Environment Agency as having good potential for river restoration, but due to prioritisation of catchment needs and available budgets a scheme has never been implemented.

However, funding has recently been secured for a Feasibility Study to assess enhancement options for about 1km of river corridor running adjacent to the Watersedge Estate in the London Borough of Epsom and Ewell and forming the boundary with the Royal Borough of Kingston (see Figure 1 in Appendix A). In February 2003, Halcrow was commissioned by Rosebery Housing Association (in conjunction and on behalf of their partners, which include Surrey County Council, Environment Agency, London Borough of Epsom and Ewell, and Royal Borough of Kingston) to carry out the Feasibility Study.

The river is currently perceived to be degraded due to being, in places, steep sided, concrete-lined and crossed by various service pipes. The existing infrastructure, which include an existing foot bridge, is also in need of repair/replacement. The general poor visual appearance of the river has resulted in it being neglected by the local community and suffering from rubbish dumping.

The Feasibility Study is aimed at helping to deliver a wide-range of enhancements, which focus on social, recreational and ecological aspects of the environment. This study forms the first step in a longer-term programme, which provides the opportunity for private developers and government organisations to work with and deliver solutions for the local community.

1.2Aim and Objectives of the Study

The main goal of the Feasibility Study is to establish a ‘Vision’ for the river corridor within the study area that identifies options to enhance the visual, access, informal recreation and ecological aspects of the area to increase the value of the site for the local community and wider general public.

The overall vision must encompasses the following objectives:

  • Increasing public awareness and encourage public use
  • Improving the area as a recreational resource
  • Improving safety for users of the site
  • Improving access (including disabled access) to the site
  • Improving aesthetics of the site
  • Improving quantity, quality and diversity of habitat and species in the site

1.3Methodology

In order to meet the objectives of the Feasibility Study, the following tasks were undertaken:

  1. Consultation with key stakeholders
  2. Collection and review of readily available site information
  3. Walkover surveys of the site by landscape architect, ecologist and river engineer
  4. Identification of enhancement options to meet project objectives
  5. Establishment of technical feasibility and costs of proposed options
  6. Production of a Feasibility Report, which will include landscape plans for public consultation

1.4Consultation

The Client’s project board has representatives from Surrey County Council, Rosebery Housing Association, London Borough of Epsom and Ewell, and Royal Borough of Kingston. Two meetings have been held with the project board during the project, although regular liaison with the client contract manager (Leah Mathias) has been maintained throughout, to collect baseline information and ensure project objectives were met.

However, as part of the project a number of other organisations/individuals were consulted to obtain relevant data and information for the study. All the organisations consulted and summaries of their responses are provided in Table 1.

Table 1.1Consultation Responses

Organisation / Consultee / Data/Information provided
Surrey County Council / Leah Mathias /
  • Surrey Biodiversity Action Plan
  • Definitive Study Area Boundary
  • Consultee list
  • Historical Map trawl
  • Local Plan (website provided)
  • River Corridor Survey
  • Landscape Assessment

Emily Brants (SMR Officer) /
  • SMR Search

Laurence Russell /
  • Site Aerial Photo

Epsom and Ewell Borough Council / Stewart Cocker (E&E) /
  • GIS data
  • Hogsmill Leaflets

Richard Daponte /
  • Hogsmill River Devlopment – Hogsmill Leaflet (text)

Jeremy Young /
  • Tree Survey

Royal Borough of Kingston upon Thames / Marie-Claire Edwards /
  • Kingston Unitary Development Plan
  • Tolworth Court Farm LNR Management Plan
  • Hogsmill Walk Strategy

Rosebery Housing Association / Jonathon Lees /
  • Local Residents Survey

Surrey Wildlife Trust / Alistair Kirk /
  • Surrey Biological Records

London Wildlife Trust / Emily Reynolds /
  • London Biological Records

Environment Agency / David Webb /
  • CAD based maps
  • Fisheries data
  • Invertebrate data

2Study Area Conditions and Targets

2.1Introduction

The following sections provide baseline information, and where relevant, targets for the protection or enhancement of the study area. Designations and features of interest are shown on Figure 2 (Appendix A).

2.2Social, Amenity and Public Access

2.2.1Social and amenity

The study area lies within the boundary of two London Boroughs. The majority of the site is within the London Borough of Epsom and Ewell. However, the upstream part of the study area is within the Royal Borough of Kingston with the upstream section of the Hogsmill and the Bonesgate River forming the boundary between the two Boroughs.

The main residential area adjacent to the study area is the Watersedge Housing Estate, which borders the western bank of the Hogsmill River, within the London Borough of Epsom and Ewell. The housing estate comprises 180 flats, which is managed largely by Rosebery Housing Association.

Place photo

Rosebery Housing Estate adjacent to the Hogsmill River

The Estate has a long history of social problems, but these have improved significantly over recent years. DETR’s ‘Indices of Deprivation 2000’ ranks Ruxley Ward, in which Watersedge is located, as the ninth most deprived wards of the 207 wards in Surrey (Groundwork Merton, 2001)

Epsom and Ewell BC places great importance to the retention of recreational and amenity open space in urban areas and plays an important role as provider of a whole range of facilities. The Council considers that enhanced provision of informal recreational facilities for young people could contribute towards a reduction in the number of instances of anti-social behaviour attributed to younger people. At present there are two playgrounds, located at opposite ends of the Watersedge Estate. The Edge youth centre provides internal and external social and recreational facilities (Groundwork Merton, 2001).

The Hogsmill River and adjoining open land, to the north of the Borough, is considered to fulfil a strategic open space role.The Council is of the opinion that such areas of open space within the builtup area should be retained in appropriate open forms of use for the benefit of local residents and visitors and that they should be protected from unnecessary or inappropriate forms of development.

2.2.2Public access

The Hogsmill Valley is an important green space within the Royal Borough of Kingston, effectively providing a chain of open space from Kingston Town. Much of the open space is in public ownership and there has long been public access to many parts of the valley. Kingston has identified the Hogsmill Valley Walk as a long-term project with the aim of increasing long and short distance walking along the Hogsmill River Valley, and a strategy was produced in 2001.

Tolworth Court Farm Fields, also with the Royal Borough of Kingston, provide passive recreation by the general public. There are currently five access points and two Rights of Way, with a number of permissive paths that cross the site.

Apart from the Tolworth Court Farm fields, the main open space is to the east of the Hogsmill River. Pedestrian access can be gained from Riverview Primary School, the play area and from either end of the site. In contrast, there are numerous points of access to the river corridor from housing on the central/west side where the open space is relatively narrower and linear.

Crossings of the Hogsmill River can be made beside roads at either end of the site and at two pedestrian bridges between, but the Bonesgate River can only be crossed by stepping stones, which are far less safe than the bridges, posing a barrier to small children, the elderly or ambulant disabled, or a risk to those crossing.

Place Photo

Pedestrian bridge over Hogsmill River

At the south of the site area there is easy access to both sides of the river via wide entrances to footpaths. On the right bank a short length of tarmac path gives way to a broad grassed walk, both with clear views of the river through a widely spaced mature avenue of trees leading to the main open space. Along the left bank, the path is narrow and overgrown, suffering from a lack of management with the river largely hidden from view by dense saplings and undergrowth and tall, dense brambles encroaching onto the trodden earth track from the housing boundary.

At the north of the site area, access is more difficult, due to a drop in levels from the main road onto the paths. The right bank, again, has the better circulation route with a wide informal path, whereas the left bank again has a trodden earth track running alongside the meadows, with scrub and nettles encroaching.

2.2.3Targets

The London Borough of Epsom and Ewell recognises the need to achieve a reasonable balance between the need to make adequate provision for development in urban areas and the need to protect open space from development. The Council has accordingly identified the following objectives:

  • To ensure that all open space in the Borough which makes a significant contribution to amenity is retained as open space
  • To encourage the provision of facilities to meet deficiencies in the Borough's provision of recreation facilities

The Royal Borough of Kingston recognises the importance of wildlife and green spaces to people and pursue policies to defend sites of interest from development. The Tolworth Court Farm Fields Management Plan – Consultation Draft (Royal Kingston, 2003) states that the fields are little used and there may be a need for better definition of access points together with interpretation boards.

The Hogsmill Valley Walk Strategy identifies one action of relevance to this study, as follows:

  • The current crossing of stepping stones by the confluence of the Hogsmill and the Bonesgate may be a potential health hazard. A bridge would be a better option.

Groundwork Merton (2001) undertook consultation with local residents of Watersedge Estate to establish a suite of preferred environmental improvements, which encompassed the study area. Recommendations relevant to this study included:

  • To prune and tidy the Hogsmill River
  • To re-align and naturalise the Hogsmill River
  • To build a new bridge near to the confluence of the Bonesgate and Hogsmill River, and build a path towards Tolworth
  • To create new facilities for young people, especially for those over 16 (i.e. BMX track, football pitch) in the field to the north of the Hogsmill
  • To replace the old bridge with a new timber bridge, making the area more attractive

2.3Landscape

2.3.1Existing conditions

The Hogsmill River and its tributaries form relatively continuous areas of open space, which acts as ‘green corridors’ through the built environment linking the Thames in Kingston with the Green Belt in the south. These areas of open land are largely managed as informal public open space. Habitats represented include woodland, neutral grassland, hedgerows and riverine communities.

The landscape of Tolworth Court Farm Fields in the north of the study area has changed little of the last 150 years, with many of the fields remaining similar in size and shape. Many of the hedgerows show signs on the ground of a ditch and bank side between them and in some places individual ancient trees, this, together with species assemblage and documentary evidence indicate that the hedges pre-date the Enclosures Act of the late 18th Century and provides an invaluable landscape feature.

Place photo

Tolworth Court Farm Fields and access

The Hogsmill Open Space, which forms part of the study boundary, extends from Ewell Court to the confluence of the Bonesgate Stream. The study area begins at Ruxley Lane and then flows within a narrow corridor between housing up to the confluence of the Bonesgate Stream. Although a large proportion of the site is already visually attractive, there are good opportunities to enhance a number of areas that currently let down the overall character (see targets).

A lack of landscape maintenance along the riverbanks has resulted in certain sections being almost completely hidden from view, due to the density of vegetation that forms a visual barrier, especially in the summer. The neglected appearance of the left bank in particular has encouraged litter and dumping which degrades the value of the Hogmill River.

As the banks are generally steep, there are only a few points at which access to the water is easily and safely achieved. Therefore the tranquillity and beauty of being close to the water cannot be fully appreciated. Fallen and low branches hinder access close to the water’s edge and rotten and broken trunks and branches pose a risk to public safety.

Place Photo

Hogsmill River with steep banks and litter accumulation

In the central area of the site, each side of the river has a different landscape character. To the west is a linear space consisting of closely mown grass between the housing and tarmac path, which runs along the top of the riverbank. Only a few trees interrupt the consistent appearance of this generally level area, which is well maintained up to the line of the path. Thereafter, the steep bank and numerous large crack willows with broken trunks and limbs contrast with the manicured space above it. This space is a valuable asset for informal or passive recreation (e.g. kick-a-bout, walking etc).

To the east of the river the open space is much wider. The grass is also mowed for the most part, albeit not so short. There is less of a visual barrier towards the Hogsmill River, with fewer large trees and less vegetation in general along the bank. Although the riverbank is not so high, the ground rises, (at first gently and then more steeply) away from the river. A substantial area of semi-mature woodland just north of the school playground is cut off from the central open space by a dense barrier of hawthorn along its west boundary. The grass in front, within the line of concrete fence posts is un-mown and tussocky. A formal playground is perched on higher ground with access directly off a path from housing to the northeast and a football pitch lies on lower ground, closer to the river, north west of the playground.