Meeting Held on Brentford's Disused Railway Embankment
Brentford Voice reports back on proceedings
Looking east over part of the embankment. Picture: Phil Conrad of Photodrones
January 20, 2023
On Tuesday 10 January, Brentford Voice hosted a meeting at the Holiday Inn, Brentford to discuss the proposal to carry out a Feasibility Study into possible future uses of the disused railway embankment. About 55 members of the community attended.
The London Borough of Hounslow’s Thriving Communities Fund has awarded Brentford Voice a grant of £50,000 to commission the Feasibility Study on behalf of the community. The disused embankment is a linear open space of about 1.2 hectares (3 acres) extending from London Road to just south of the Brentford to Hounslow mainline railway. The site is owned by LB Hounslow but there has been no official access to the site since 1964.
This is a unique opportunity, particularly in the light of the large amount of development in Brentford, to provide access to an open space.
At the conclusion of the meeting, a show of hands indicated overwhelming support for carrying out the Feasibility Study. There was one vote against and one abstention.
However, a number of important concerns and issues were raised, which will be addressed in the Feasibility Study. These included:
- The arrangements for maintenance and management in the longer term
- Security, anti-social behaviour, noise, overlooking, and fly tipping
- The provision of access to the top of the embankment
Possible uses of the embankment may include one or more of the following:
- A walking route
- An educational, community, and historical resource
- A nature reserve with native wildflower planting
- Community gardens/allotments/an orchard
- A peaceful spot to sit, have a picnic, and enjoy the views
The next step is for Brentford Voice to select landscape architects and ecologists to carry out the Feasibility Study, which will include regular feedback and consultation with the community. A report will be produced in about December 2023 and this will be presented to the community and to LB Hounslow for consideration.
Jim Storrar – Brentford Voice
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