Let's fix the Wandle Trail “missing link”

Linking up a vital travel route will be transformational for south west London and you can help, says former CPRE London chair and current chair of Wandle Valley Forum Tony Burton

The Wandle in south west London is the rarest of things  – a chalk stream flowing through a global city. England is home to 85% of the world’s chalk streams and only a handful are on the doorstep of millions of people like the Wandle.

It is accessible to Londoners via the Wandle Trail, which tracks the riverside for 20km. It’s a magnet for walkers, anglers and nature lovers alike. It’s a green corridor, a cool space, an active travel route, a source of tranquillity and more.

Blockage

But the Wandle Trail is blocked by a railway bridge serving trains in and out of Waterloo. This means that walkers, cyclists or wheelers are currently forced to leave the river and divert via busy roads through Earlsfield.

Given the trail’s popularity, it should be no surprise that there has been a community campaign for more than two decades to find a fix. And there is growing demand arising from significant new development in the area. The Wandle Valley Forum believes providing a route through the railway bridge will create a new and transformational active travel route. This will promote sustainable travel in the area, which is an important part of CPRE London’s work on the Healthy Streets Scorecard.

Priority project

The railway bridge lies right on the border of Merton and Wandsworth. And both local authorities have identified it as a “priority project” in their Local Plans and Infrastructure Delivery Plans. It is eligible for funding from the community infrastructure levy on new development among other sources.

A feasibility study has been completed by Merton Council, presenting a preferred option which has the support of Network Rail and Environment Agency and costs around £1.1m. This shows there is a solution to the missing Link, which is deliverable and affordable.

This is why CPRE London, together with Wandle Valley Forum, is calling on both Wandsworth and Merton Councils to act now to deliver it. And you can help by signing the petition.

Please sign the petition here and share it in your networks

Learn more about the the Healthy Streets Scorecard