Brent River Restoration: Greenford to Gurnell Greenway

The river Brent is nearly 18 miles long, winding through four London boroughs, and it’s under pressure.

The pressure is not just from plastic and chemical pollution. Plants find it difficult to grow alongside it because it’s been artificially straightened, encased in man-made surfaces like wooden toe boards and concrete, and because invasive species such as Himalayan Balsam out-compete them.

This project aims to tackle these problems on the stretch of the Brent running through Perivale Park in Ealing as part of the Greenford to Gurnell Greenway.

The Greenford to Gurnell Greenway project aims to reconnect the community to the river through building awareness of this valuable blue-green space, how it connects with riverside walks such as the River Brent Walk and the Capital Ring Route, and through giving them the skills to help maintain it. 

Together with the local community, we will remove wooden toe-boards separating the river from the riverbank and its floodplain. We will plant native plants on the banks, remove some trees to let light in and place this wood in the river to boost its health and protect the riverbank from erosion. We will run volunteer events to remove plastic waste and invasive non-native plant species. Long-term, the aim is for this to continue into the future through an established group of volunteers.

Our vision is to increase awareness of the benefits that the river Brent brings to Ealing. A more naturalised, accessible river not only protects homes and businesses from flooding, but provides people with essential blue-green space to boost their mental and physical wellbeing.

This project is financed by The Water Environment Improvement Fund.

In partnership with: