Access to the foreshore: Using public space for environmental engagement

“I never knew that we were allowed in this area. I thought it was private grounds,” said Laila – a resident of the Carnwath Road estate adjacent to Broomhouse Dock. Laila expressed her surprise whilst taking part in one of the many clean-ups we ran by the Dock earlier this year.

Laila, one of many residents based in Sands End, Fulham, South West London, was not alone in her initial thinking about access rights to the foreshore. Hers was an opinion shared amongst many local residents about access to the foreshore, with similar themes regarding perceptions of space being off limits to the public cropping up on the doorstep and in community focus groups.

Her thinking is not a surprise. Most public spaces in England, whether in towns or the countryside, are all owned and there is still a jigsaw piece missing on perceptions on accessibility to the foreshore and whether people feel like they are trespassing on private land or not.

The Port of London Authority and the Crown Estate are the largest landowners of Thames foreshore. However, parts of the foreshore are still accessible to the public. The Thames is London’s largest open space and we want people to come out to connect with it and enjoy it. In fact, people would use the river more if there was greater of understanding of how to use it.

Laila’s perception made it clear the river space is underused, with one resident noting they “never really see it being used in any way”. The neglect and erosion of public space is a real concern in many communities, and with many places lacking usage for such spaces, it threatens the quality of life for individuals and their communities. This is an issue amongst locals in Sands End where some residents felt a distinct lack of recreational space outside of South Park.

However, as climate change accelerates, public spaces in cities have become powerful tools to increase environmental consciousness among communities, with residents helping to deliver ecological benefits to their cities while increasing access to their local spaces. Our aims at Thames21 are clear: foster connections to these spaces and empower locals to look after these spaces, benefiting both people and the environment.

In mapping the area, our regard for public spaces in Sands End and South Fulham, in general, overlapped with those of Wandsworth Bridge Road Association (WBRA), a group run by residents and business owners that seek to ‘create a clean, green Wandsworth Bridge Road’. Aiming to develop a more inhabitable street, their objective is to shift from a car-dominated and polluted road to one that puts people first. Reflecting on our shared values, both groups want to ensure Sands End and South Fulham offers spaces that provide a sense of belonging; spaces that are pleasant and restorative, and encourage socialisation and the exchange of ideas and goods.

Public space as a solution

Thames21’s Thames River Watch programme has been inspired by WBRA’s ability to galvanise the community around issues associated with local space. Observing their engagement with the area, WBRA are constantly exploring how public space can address challenges facing urban areas such as lack of social connectedness and climate change.

WBRA actively promotes the environment in a way that connects with the community, having hosted workshops that help it become more resilient, prepared and adapted to the climate crisis. Importantly, they visualise a ‘cleaner and greener’ space, offering a gateway to pro-environmental behaviours by limiting emissions in the neighbourhood and litter on the Thames foreshore.

Notably, benefiting from the support of WBRA, Broomhouse Dock was the sight for a Thames21 litter pick in January 2024 that saw over 30 residents helping to protect their foreshore. One resident said that participating in such a community event ‘changed the way she thought about the riverside’. Building on these types of events, wellbeing walks, history walks, river dipping (finding out what creatures live on the foreshore) and tide workshops were all held in recent months to fully utilise the riverspace’s potential to engage the community. Promoting the use of public space increases the potential for an environmentally resilient community as they seek to protect and nurture the places they associate with home.

Moving from isolation to connection

A common theme we heard from locals was the isolation felt by residents in the area. Speaking on the nearby estates, we gleaned a strong sense of dissociation from the community that instilled a sense of apathy towards public space. This feeling was exacerbated by the lack of recreational space and amenities in the area, along with infrastructural barriers close to Broomhouse Dock. When we add individuals’ own personal, cultural, financial and/or relational difficulties into the equation, then the barriers to engagement become ever more complex.

Using the river space according to their needs helped overcome feelings of isolation in the community and foster connection to their local area and fellow residents. Upon seeing the foreshore busy at our clean up, one resident realised a greater sense of connection to the area, saying ‘It’s great to see so many using it […] it makes you feel part of something’. In an ever increasing disconnected world, the community actions of our groups help break down barriers and encourage social cohesion in Sands End.

Turning dissociation into collaboration

So how did we encourage apathetic locals to actively think about underused public space?

Reimagining the approach to engaging with residents and prioritising relationship building with local groups, we were able to carry out resident surveys, focus groups and consultations. Using these conversations helped the community reimagine their relationship to the riverside, reflecting on their personal barriers to engaging but also what they’d like to see, such as a cleaner river side. Feeding into the design of our programme, our events were tailored to the needs and desires of residents, ensuring an equitable design to our project.

Engaging neighbours and building trust is key to effective social cohesion. Delivering events such as our river clean-up exemplified this, as was evident from a mother and her child who claimed it was ‘great to see so many people’ on the foreshore at one time. Further doing so only engrains a greater sense of cohesion within a community.

Summary

The engagement with these spaces shows how they can offer a solution to some of the pressing problems that communities face. Our projects in Sands End demonstrate the importance of community involvement in enhancing social connection and belonging to a certain area and by cultivating these spaces, we can observe examples of increasing environmental awareness through shared community experience. We hope these lead to a positive and proactive relationship between Sands End residents and their surroundings. By doing so, we can help further empower the residents of Sands End to value, restore, and protect their public spaces.

By Matthew Dawson, Thames21’s Thames Connection Project Coordinator.