Editor

With otters recently spotted on a local stretch of the River Roding, Paul Powlesland – who founded the River Roding Trust five years ago – is looking for Woodford residents to become guardians of the river 

When I moved to the River Roding in Barking on my boat in 2017, I perhaps naively assumed there were professionals and government officials looking after the river. After all, the Roding – flowing over 40 miles from its source in Molehill Green in Essex to its confluence with the Thames in Barking – is London’s third-largest river and crucial to the lives of the hundreds of thousands of people in its catchment, as well as the nature that relies on it.

Having lived on and grown to know the river over the past seven years, I came to understand the awful truth that no one was truly acting and speaking in the river’s interests and preventing damage and destruction to the river; as a result, the lower river in particular was in serious trouble. 

I therefore set up the Friends of the River Roding group on Facebook to start gathering other volunteers. This project became the River Roding Trust in 2019 and since then our volunteers have undertaken a growing range of activities to care for the river: water quality testing, continuing litter picks (removing up to 400 bags in a single weekend!), planting trees, opening riverside paths, removing invasive species, ensuring riverside developments benefit the river, restoring the Roding’s lost riverside meadows and marshes wherever possible, and many more.

Our approach as a charity has been very much a grassroots one and we continue to be run solely by volunteers. We are also very locally run, with volunteers getting to know a particular part of the river and then seeking to protect and restore it in whatever ways we can. Although we have sought to protect all of the river, much of our effort so far has been in Barking and in Ilford, where many of our volunteers live. We have now set up volunteer groups further along the river, including in Wanstead and Woodford, providing them with the equipment, training, knowledge, advice and social media and organisational connections they need to act as guardians on their part of the river.

The Roding is an incredible river, which along with its valley and catchment could be one of the wildest, most beautiful and ecology-rich urban rivers in the country. But its fate very much hangs in the balance, with bad news about continued ecological and water quality degradation contrasting with positive news like the recent discovery of otters living in the river in Redbridge.

Each one of us who lives in the catchment can make a big difference for our river, so if you love and care for the Roding and would like to get involved in any capacity as a guardian of the river, please do get in touch.

For more information and to get involved, email river.roding@gmail.com or visit swvg.co.uk/rodingfriends

Plans are being made to plant a replacement for Wanstead Park’s iconic map tree, a British Isles-shaped Cedar.

While deemed safe by the City of London Corporation – which manages the park – damage to the 200-year-old tree’s roots from footfall and a worsening lean towards Ornamental Water have raised concerns.

Arborists considered propping, cabling and rerouting the path, but all options were deemed unsuitable.

A replacement tree with protective fencing is expected to be planted in September, costing £4,000.

Pearl Arbenser-Simmonds celebrates the completion of South Woodford’s digital Design Code and looks ahead to the area becoming London’s most liveable urban village

As I write this, 2024 draws to a close, which is fitting as our exciting work on creating the South Woodford digital Design Code is also coming to an end! We are particularly proud of the work we have achieved, supported by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG). 

The Design Code will ensure any development that takes place is sympathetic both to our local environment and residents’ needs by prioritising accessible green space, better public spaces, improved walking and cycling infrastructure and key amenities.

The Design Code website has been amalgamated with the South Woodford Society website. The Design Code draft has been finalised and we have created a digital version of the code; this work is now live on our new website. It is a website still in beta testing, so if you spot any errors or bugs, do please let us know!

Work continues on the Neighbourhood Plan and we envisage presenting a draft to the London Borough of Redbridge in spring 2025. This will be followed by a public consultation on the draft and an independent examination, culminating in a public referendum on adopting the plan.

Creating a digital Design Code has been exciting and we believe we have managed to strike the right balance between offering tangible information to relevant professionals and developers, whilst keeping it interesting and engaging for local residents. It includes interactive models of what the two main development sites in our area (Station Estate and Station Car Park – identified by London Borough of Redbridge in their Local Plan) could be. It is very important to note the models and plans are quite simply illustrations of what those sites could achieve, taking into account local residents’ preferences and stated needs. 

We will also be creating QR codes to be displayed at various locations across South Woodford in the spring. These will allow anyone to view information specific to that location. 

Developed in partnership with AzuKo, the interactive map documents our community’s assets – everything from green spaces and tree canopy cover to public seating and cycle parking. This will illustrate changes over time and show how close we are to our targets for South Woodford becoming ‘London’s most liveable urban village’. We are also mapping kerb uses, kindly enabled by AppyWay. This data will allow us to understand just how sustainable our kerb spaces currently are and identify those which could be re-allocated for uses such as street trees, parklets and sustainable drainage systems. Over the coming year, we will explore ways of expanding this interactive map to include local walking and cycling routes.

Thank you all for your support and engagement in 2024 and very best wishes for the year ahead.

For more information and to view the new South Woodford Society website, visit sowosoc.org

A permit parking consultation is underway for a number of roads in South Woodford.

“We have received two local petitions requesting that new permit parking controls be introduced for Maybank Road, Crescent Road, Chigwell Road and the surrounding roads. This is in response to concerns over non-residential parking taking place in the area… A decision will be made based on the responses received to this consultation,” said a Redbridge Council spokesperson.

The consultation is open until 26 January.

Visit swvg.co.uk/mbpermit

The company behind the redevelopment of Snaresbrook Station car park – which closed last March – has issued an update.

“The car park closed to allow for the building of much-needed affordable homes. We are currently undertaking enabling works to prepare for construction… We expect the development to be completed by the end of 2026. When the car park reopens, 22 spaces will be available, including four Blue Badge parking spaces,” said a spokesperson for Pocket Living, which is building two blocks of flats on the site.

The Friends of Wanstead Parklands will host a New Year stroll in the park on 5 January, with an irreverent, local interpretation on the 12 days of Christmas.

“Join us for an easy post-Christmas morning stroll. We’ll take a tour of some historical highlights of the park, highlighting 12 key moments in its history. This will be a Wanstead Park epiphany walk!” said Adrian Russell.

The walk will depart from the park’s Warren Road entrance at 10.30am, finishing at the tea hut by 12 noon.

Email info@wansteadpark.org.uk

Residents have until 5 January to apply to adopt a tree pit on their street, alongside year-round applications to remove an entire road from the chemical weed control spraying schedule.

“A tree pit is the soil area at the base of trees, perfect for planting with wildflowers. Last year, residents adopted over 650 tree pits across the borough, boosting biodiversity. If you have previously adopted a tree pit, you will have to re-apply as adoptions only last for 12 months,” said a Redbridge Council spokesperson.

Visit swvg.co.uk/treepits

Redbridge Council has launched a public consultation on its first sustainable transport strategy.

“Our ambition is to create seamless and safe connections between the bus, underground and rail networks, and an extensive network of zero-emission vehicle charging points that support the borough’s carbon-neutral ambition. We really value your input and feedback,” said a spokesperson.

The survey is open until 5 January.

Visit swvg.co.uk/sts

A PE teacher from St Aubyn’s School in Woodford Green represented England in the Women’s Masters Hockey World Cup held in New Zealand in November.

“It was quite an achievement and one which has made me and my family and friends so proud… The trip to Auckland was amazing and shows that whatever your age… with effort and determination, dreams can come true,” said Lynn Wright, who competed in the over-50s squad.

The team finished in fifth place and were undefeated in all their matches.

A fundraiser has been launched to support The Children’s Society in recovering lost revenue after its South Woodford charity shop was closed for a week in November following a burglary.

“We were moved by the concerns of people in the local community who contacted us to help, and so we set up the fundraiser page for anyone that would like to make donations so we can keep up our important work with children and young people,” said a spokesperson for the charity.

Visit swvg.co.uk/tcs

Nominations for the Mayor of Redbridge’s annual community awards are open until 6 January.

“Do you know an unsung hero within your street or local community? Or a group or organisation that has made a positive contribution to the lives of local residents?” asked a council spokesperson.

The judging panel is comprised of councillors, council officers and local residents.

Visit swvg.co.uk/mca25