|
The London Plan download section
The content of this website is no longer current - please see The London Plan 2011. London's water spaces policesThe Thames itself changes a great deal in its size and character as it flows through London. The Blue Ribbon Network Principles value this diversity and the twice-daily changes brought by the tidal nature of the river. London's network of canals includes the Grand Union Canal, Regents Canal, Limehouse Cut, Hertford Union Canal and the River Lee Navigation as well as numerous basins and canal arms. Together they make up over 90km of waterway running through fifteen boroughs. Canals are different from rivers, brooks and streams in that they are essentially man-made structures that usually have relatively little flow of water. The quality of the water in many of London's larger and more prominent rivers and canals is often dependent upon the quality of what flows into them from the tributary streams. Unfortunately many of London's rivers have been modified from their natural state and suffer pollution from many sources, including sewage from wrongly connected sewers. These factors clearly reduce their amenity and biodiversity value. This, in turn, can lead to pressure to culvert or divert such small streams, an approach which deals with the symptoms rather than the causes of these problems. The Mayor will work with others to investigate what courses of action are available to reduce the problem of wrongly connected sewers across London. London's docks were once the heart of the city's international trade. Building into the dock areas, thereby losing part of the water space goes against the thrust of the Mayor's policy and should be opposed. Historically the central part of London had a number of rivers, which were tributaries to the Thames. Many of these had important historical connections, for example the Rivers Fleet, Tyburn and Effra. They are not part of the Blue Ribbon Network. View London's water spaces policies |
The complete 