The River Roding Trust has completed its biggest river restoration project to date, bringing 280 metres of river back to life on the Alders Brook. Paul Powlesland reports
The Alders Brook – a tributary of the River Roding with its source within the City of London Cemetery – is likely the ancient channel of the Roding, but since being cut off from the main river in the ‘River Roding Improvement Scheme’ more than 70 years ago, has become choked with silt and rubbish and was in danger of becoming just another lost river of London.
The River Roding Trust has been trying its best to protect the Alders Brook by removing the huge quantities of rubbish that had built up over decades, but the scale of the challenge meant a more drastic intervention was called for. We tried to get Redbridge Council, the Environment Agency and big river charities to act, but to no avail. The only option was to role up our sleeves and do the work ourselves. We hired a digger, which was crewed entirely voluntarily by Mick Burpitt. The steep banks and number of trees along the river meant it was difficult and delicate work. But over the course of 10 days, we removed hundreds of tonnes of silt, leaves and rubbish from the river. Dozens of amazing volunteers then sorted through the wet silt and removed the tonnes of rubbish it contained (plastic bottles, knives, shotguns and a whole motorbike!).
The aim was to create as many different and nature-rich habitats as possible. So, whilst we left all the trees along the banks standing, we trimmed the branches overhanging the river to bring in light and help bring back aquatic plants and marginal vegetation. The Alders Brook had silted up to the extent it was little more than a ditch, which in places was only centimetres deep, so you could walk across. We brought the width back to at least 10 feet and the depth to at least two feet, interspersed with some pools four to five feet in depth.
In doing this work, we have uncovered the Alders Brook as a rare and precious jewel. It has stunning, sinuous meanders and curves and its banks are entirely natural. Following campaigning by the River Roding Trust, the tidal flap valve on the Alders Brook barrage was removed three years ago and now the tide is properly able to flow up it again; we believe it is the only tidal freshwater brook in London. As part of the works, we have also opened up accessible points to the river, so you can now visit and walk along it. Although some of the areas look a little muddy and bare at the moment, as spring comes into play, we are confident there will be a blossoming of life.
As ever, thank you to all the volunteers who worked incredibly hard. And particular thanks to Mick, who worked on the digger, for free, every day for a week to restore the river he used to play in as a child. If you would like to support our work, we would really appreciate donations towards the cost of the digger hire. We estimate these works would have cost £50K to £100K and taken two to three years if done by the council. With community action, it cost just £1K and was completed in 10 days.
For more information on the River Roding Trust and to donate, visit wnstd.com/rrt
