Ember River Bridge Project

I spoke spoke with one resident in Aaragon Ave who was very pro the bridge. Their thinking was that they would use Hampton Court Station and not Thames Ditton and that the walk over along Albany Reach, over the Bridge and Via Cigarette Island park would be a much nicer and shorter walk.

td_pete wrote: Have we any update on this? I have had a bit of feedback and I was a little surprised that some people are against the idea, which as far as I can tell is based on their keeping 'undesirables' out of Thames Ditton (not my words). Not really sure what is meant by that and can't really see the argument myself, but its a point worth remembering if and when this goes to planning. Also I can't help thinking what the impact of Crossrail 2 might have on the area, particularly around the Hampton Court station area, in terms of it having to be redeveloped into a much larger scale operation. My thinking there maybe opportunities to integrate a crossing with the railway bridge if they have to rebuild to take the new trains and platforms that will be required. Just some thoughts, let me know if you need any help i'm a dab hand with websites etc. if you need to canvass support etc.

I will chase Elmbridge for an update - the latest was it had been passed from Elmbridge Borough Council to Surrey County Council (as they deal with Highways and Bridge Structures) and it is now back with EBC again awaiting further input. The feedback has generally been positive from the Council although there are quite a few hurdles to overcome.

With any project like this, there are going to be a mix of opinions. I've generally had positive feedback from people I have spoken to who can see the benefit of joining the two public amenities of Cigarette Island Park and Albany Reach. Should we get to the next stage, there will be plenty of opportunity for people to formally express their views.

Thanks for the offer of help with websites etc - I'm not at that stage quite yet but I'll let you know when we get there.

Have we any update on this? I have had a bit of feedback and I was a little surprised that some people are against the idea, which as far as I can tell is based on their keeping 'undesirables' out of Thames Ditton (not my words). Not really sure what is meant by that and can't really see the argument myself, but its a point worth remembering if and when this goes to planning. Also I can't help thinking what the impact of Crossrail 2 might have on the area, particularly around the Hampton Court station area, in terms of it having to be redeveloped into a much larger scale operation. My thinking there maybe opportunities to integrate a crossing with the railway bridge if they have to rebuild to take the new trains and platforms that will be required. Just some thoughts, let me know if you need any help i'm a dab hand with websites etc. if you need to canvass support etc.

Thanks everyone for the replies and interest.

Yesterday, Andrew and I attended a Strategic CIL funding meeting at Council offices to discuss my CIL application for the Ember River Bridge. I presented the application and there were then responses from Councillors and Officers with an opportunity to respond to questions. The Councillors present were positive about the proposal - nobody raised any objections to its merits. The main concerns raised were regarding 'delivery organisation' and maintenance. We had good responses for both of these concerns.

As yesterday's meeting was a closed meeting, we were not present for the subsequent debate so at some point, I will get some feedback on what happened next and keep you posted.

Who are Alexpro, I've never heard of them?

The Jolly Boatman site is under new ownership (Alexpro) who are 'exploring the possibility' of revising the approved plans. Perhaps the relevant ward councillor could bring the bridge concept to the table for consideration? Access to the added amenities of Thames Ditton would surely add value to the scheme and support Alexpro underwriting some of the costs?

New Jolly Boatman owners

Fantastic idea! Thank you, Howard for taking the initiative on this.

Perhaps we could have a 3D printed bridge! The plan to 3D print a steel bridge in situ

OT: Agree with Pete too, on reestablishing access to the Rec from Riversdale road. Was this officially closed off?

Congratulations, Howard, for this initiative. I hope will be founded on firm foundations that is the province of civil engineers as is the whole structural integrity of such a facility. it is good to see that you are asking for input from that specific profession and not the adjective denuded "engineers" that is in the current Magazine!

For a small scale structure such as this, I would have thought that the architects creative imagination could be allowed full rein before engaging a civil engineering consultant professionally. It is the platter who will be held responsible for ensuring it is correctly configured and built for the next 100 years or so.

It may be of interest to readers to note that the Molesey Local History Society researched and presented in November 2012 a meeting describing the succession of the four bridges at Hampton Court. The role of civil engineers in creating the current bridge (which was pretty innovative at the time - although concealed by the Architects brickwork) was made manifest.

As an inspiration to females to examine the possibilities in civil engineering, why not look at a video produced by my Partner in Greece! You can see it here ...

Fully support this idea.

I have emailed a chum and former TD resident who is a senior architect dealing with bridges for a major consultancy in the Far East. But no promises.

What a great idea, I've often thought this when walking the dogs and often use the hole in the fence as a short cut to get across to Cigarette Island and East Molesey, I even put this forward as a suggestion for the Hampton Court Station development. Unfortunately I'm the wrong type of Engineer to be useful to you i.e. software engineer but if there is anyway I can help feel free to contact me. As an aside I would like to see pedestrian access from the end of Riversdale Road via the recreation ground (as I think it once was) as a way of joining up easy access to the river and beyond. I know its not what we are discussing here but would like to encourage better pedestrian and cycle access in the area. Good luck.

As mentioned in this month's Thames Ditton Today, I am currently working on a project to build a new pedestrian bridge across the River Ember. This proposal would provide an uninterupted walk from Thames Ditton to Hampton Court Bridge by joining Albany Reach to Cigarette Island Park. The current thinking is for an arched bridge set back some 30 metres from the confluence of the Thames and Ember Rivers. I currently have a team of like-minded residents working on this project, including local resident Andrew Roberts and Andy von Bradsky, chairman of local architect firm PRP Architects.

Our current plan is to file a full planning application in the summer at which point local residents and statutory consultees will be able to make their representations. The project will require input from engineers, ecologists and architects. There are a number of hurdles to overcome before the bridge becomes a reality, not least being how the bridge is funding and who pays for on-going maintenance costs.

I believe a bridge at this location brings numerous benefits and opens up a large part of the riverbank to all, connecting the villages of East Molesey and Thames Ditton. With this bridge, it will be easy to walk from Thames Ditton Village to the shops of Bridge Road, or onwards towards Hurst Park, or to easily get to Hampton Court Palace or the Thames Path on the Richmond side of the river. It would be easy for Molesey residents to walk to shops and pubs of Thames Ditton.

As mentioned in the article, we are currently looking for anyone to help with Civil Engineering expertise, especially with a interest/specialism in bridges. If this is something you are interested in, please contact me via this website. We are keen to hear views and comments from local residents on this proposal.