Thames Landscape Strategy - Hampton to Kew -

Lighting of the towpath

Putting together the ideas for any new Thames Landscape Strategy project is always good fun as it usually involves spending lots of time down on the river getting to know the ins and outs of the place. At the moment we are just beginning to consider some new improvements to the riverside in Kingston and as such I have started spending much more of my time there. As I was meeting friends in Kingston town centre on Saturday night I decided that in the name of research it would be a good idea to walk the five miles from Richmond along the towpath instead of taking the bus. Having checked the tidetables, I set off, accompanied by brother expecting it to be wet following the afternoon’s high tide and cold, but what we hadn’t anticipated was the mist. Floating above the river the mist turned the walk past Teddington Lock into a magical experience and at journeys end gave Kingston riverside an almost Dickensian quality.

One thing that fog or mist really focuses the mind on are lights, of all sorts, as they shimmer through the gloomth of the night. Good quality, well-designed street lighting is important particularly in a sensitive location such as the riverside, but sadly most are pretty poor. I am not simply referring here to the appearance of the light column or fixture during the day but also to the way that the bulb casts it light at night. Studies have demonstrated that good lighting significantly reduces glare and light pollution, lifts the spirit, increases property prices and actually reduces crime. In addition, certain features within the landscape can be brought alive such as a historic building or a magnificent tree specimen. A well-designed light should look good during the day and only light the bits it is intended to do at night.

This said, the use of lighting is improving significantly. In Westminster for example, the council policy is to replace all dreary orange (sodium) lights within three years with softer white lights, and closer to home new lights at Kew Plaza , Richmond, Twickenham and Kingston town centres have made a positive contribution to the street scene. Although slightly more expensive the results are usually worth the extra cost as lighting is something that affects the lives of everyone.

Lighting is also an important consideration in the ‘London’s Arcadia’ Heritage Lottery funded scheme. It was with great pleasure then that the Thames Landscape Strategy working in partnership with the London Borough of Richmond was awarded a commendation in the recent Richmond Society Awards for one of the first schemes to be implemented under London’s Arcadia – the lighting in the ground under the Richmond Bridge arch. The area was identified by the police as a hot spot for crime as the archway was pitch black at night and gloomy corners provided perfect spots to hide.. The design of the lights was fraught with problems as the location regularly floods, the bridge itself is Grade I listed and being a riverside site light pollution had to be accounted for. The chosen scheme was modern in its approach and designed to be almost invisible during the day, and at night light the area in a subtle under-stated way. It both highlights the magnificent underside of the bridge and provides for greater security.

The accolade meant a lot to us as it demonstrated the importance that local people place on good design in the public realm and that with the chosen scheme we must have got it pretty much right. The design of the bulk of the projects for ‘London’s Arcadia’ is now largely complete and are now being fine tuned as we continue to talk to local people. The next big milestone for us is to begin the fundraising initiative, without which the scheme will not be completed as intended.

One of the common misconceptions about the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) is that they provide all the money needed to complete any given project. But in reality schemes are set up in a way so that the recipients of the Heritage Lottery funds have to raise a percentage of funds themselves and we are no exception. Whilst the HLF has awarded London’s Arcadia’ £1,778,000, a total of £1,300,000 has to be raised by us to match fund this. Significantly, the project was established in a way that allows us to raise the match funding over a period of three years. In this way, year one projects can begin in earnest before the overall grand total needed to be raised is secured. This is important as otherwise the start date would have been pushed back. Further more, the overall project has been designed in a way that separate projects can proceed incrementally, independent of others projects. In this way, if the overall funding for the project is not reached it does not compromise those elements of Arcadia that we have successfully completed.

The fundraising initiative has had to wait until the bundle of designs for the project work was nearing completion, otherwise how would potential donors know what they were giving their money for. This does not mean that we have been doing nothing whilst preparing the designs. Many trust funds have already been approached and several significant donations have started to fill the coffers. This still leaves a considerable amount that has to found and we will need your help more than ever soon if we are to realise our goals.

One of the biggest problems we have encountered during the early stages of fundraising is the perception that because the local area is considered to be relatively rich the various river authorities should have the money to spend on the projects themselves. This is simply not the case. If only it was then our job would be so much easier and we would not have needed to go the Heritage Lottery Fund in the first place. Due to the ways that government spending is allocated this area actually receives a very low grant allocation compared to other districts effectively making local authorities around here some of the worst funded in the country although we have some of the most important and cherished open spaces to care for.

We will not be ‘launching’ the fundraising initiative with a big splash full of razzmatazz. That would not be appropriate for the riverside that we are raising the money for. In any case, the project team is already approaching large national companies and businesses for donations so a big launch would be a little late. Additionally, ways that local people, businesses, families or individuals can donate money have been established and some smaller donations have already been received.

London’s Arcadia was initiated by local people to celebrate the Centenary of the saving of the View from Richmond Hill to ensure that the riverside was cared for the next 100-years. The riverside, its wildlife, its views, its open spaces and historic features are close to all our hearts. What we must be certain of is that we do not waste the opportunity provided by the Heritage Lottery Fund money by not raising the funds needed to match this. If you would like to know more about the Thames Landscape Strategy or the London’s Arcadia project please write to The Thames Landscape Strategy, Holly Lodge, Richmond Park, TW10 5HS or visit the web site on www.thames-landscape-strategy.org.uk and click onto the London’s Arcadia page.

Alternatively, we will be at Teddington Lock island this Saturday (the 23rd October, look out for the Thames Landscape Strategy tent) between 11.00am-3.00pm to hear your views regarding the Teddington Gateway scheme and at the next Richmond Society Forum meeting on the 28th October (7.30pm) at the Vestry Hall, Paradise Road to answer any questions on the ‘London’s Arcadia’ project.

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