Wildlife Circus

    Following the London Urban Water Management Conference, Thames21 and Enfield Council  organised a tour of the Rainscapes last Tuesday. It was great to see the sites in the raw as well as talk to members of the local Friends groups.  blocked drain and swale Our first stop was at Lonsdale Road and Aimee Felus from Thames 21 and Ian Russel the borough engineer at Enfield council showed us some of the impressive schemes they had colaborated on, that were custom designed to prevent polluted storm water run-off from entering the streams. This included deculverting part of the hidden Glenbrook river along a woodlot .  Misconnections from sources of sewage entered the river through various outfalls but are hidden under the road. Here they are seen and can be dealt with and the process starts with a boom to hold back the worst excesses of pollutants, most recently this has been cement washed into drains from building works which has left an amount of whit...

Whilst the Sustrans might be the best organisation to guide us through the process of determining the new cycle routes in the borough, the New Malden Pipe Track might not be the best route for one.  The clue is in the site's designation as a 'Site of Nature Conservation Importance' (or SNCI). Its use as a conduit for the Ring Main, the means by which our water gets distributed, results in wetland habitats arising from the various leaks along the route. Over a period of time reed-beds and associated wetland species have developed along this dark and undisturbed area, along with all the animals that would be expected to use a wildlife corridor. This includes the movement of deer, badgers, foxes, hedgehogs, reptiles and amphibians as well as an abundance of dragon and damselflies. It is misguided to use the words 'enhance, improve, recreate' when it comes to the wildlife interest, without first conducting comprehensive surveys determining the habitats a...