Molesey Riverside and Hampton Court Approaches

Molesey and Hurst Park

Hurst Park & Molesey Riverside

The Thames Landscape Strategy in partnership with Elmbridge Borough Council and Surrey County Council have carried out a number of consultation exercises with Molesey residents, on whether there is a need for a management plan for Hurst Park and Molesey Riverside between Hampton Court Bridge and Hurst Park. On Saturday 3rd October, the Thames Landscape Strategy attended an open day with their marquee, asking residents to give their opinions on how they would like to see the area’s landscape managed in the future. The day was a great success with over 300 people attending.

The next step in the consultation was a mailout of a questionnaire to all residents in the area through the Hurst Park Residents Association. The questionnaire was structured around a number of different management issues, ranging from access, signage and sports facilities through to scrub management, wildlife and biodiversity. Over 80 responses were received from local residents, both from the Molesey bank as well as the Hampton bank, along with a number of responses from residents of Garrick’s Ait. Both the residents association and the Thames
Landscape Strategy are pleased with the response rate, as the questionnaire was relatively long and postage had to be covered by respondents.

The findings from the survey showed an overwhelming majority in favour of a conservation management plan being developed for the riverside. Results also showed that residents were united in their views on a number of key issues. The key findings of the consultation will be drawn together in a report, which will be fed back to Elmbridge Borough Council and Surrey County Council. This report will also be fed back to the local community via the very active Hurst Park Residents Association.

Hampton Court Approaches

Hampton Court evokes the same kind of feeling of awe today as it did when it was first built. Seated on the banks of the Thames it has had the pleasure of welcoming visitors through its gates since it was first opened to the public by Queen Victoria. The railway station was even positioned in such a way as to create a sudden visual impact for every passenger as the palace came into view across the water. The views and approaches to Hampton Court Palace have been of great importance to the Thames Landscape Strategy. The Hampton Court Approaches project – in conjunction with Historic Royal Palaces, Royal Parks, London Borough of Richmond Upon Thames, English Heritage, and the Environment Agency, and funded by Transport for London, is designed to recreate that ‘wow’ factor that had been lost during subsequent years of development and changes in town planning. One of the elements of this project has been the tidying up and improvement of Hampton Court Road. Locally known as ‘between the walls’, Hampton Court Road runs along the separation of Home Park and Bushy Park and is the main road from Kingston Bridge to Hampton Court roundabout.

London Borough of Richmond Upon Thames transport team started work on the site in spring 2008, revamping the footpath and cycleway. The tarmac of the footpath had gotten tatty and was very narrow. Right up against the side of this busy road, there was also a cycle path painted along the edge of the road. Following consultation between the partners and public, it was decided that this should be corrected to serve not only the goals of the Approaches project visually, but also to improve the safety of the paths users.
The path has been widened to accommodate both cyclists and pedestrians as a shared use path. It has been moved away from the edge of the road and separated from it by a strip of grass which is not only safer but improves the rural feel and adds continuity to the grass on the wall side. The tarmac has been replaced by far more attractive heritage sealed gravel, and this also creates continuity as the paths directly outside the Palaces front gates have also been covered in sealed gravel, as have the improvements to the Barge Walk along the river to Kingston Bridge. The gravel is also more permeable that the tarmac so will create less surface run-off in the event of heavy rain or flood.

The next stage of the project is to improve the safety and accessibility of Hampton Court Road that runs alongside Taggs Island. This will include a shared use path of sealed gravel.
There are also plans to improve the road layout in Hampton Court Village. Details will be updated as the project develops.