Is bus route round bend?

9:26am Wednesday 24th March 2004

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RESIDENTS have been horrified by proposals to route the Greenwich Waterfront Transit through an award-winning wetland.

The £25 million first phase of the Transport for London (TfL) project could see a route for bendy buses cut across Gallions Park, in Thamesmead.

The canal is a breeding ground for swans, geese, moorhens and other wildlife.

Proposals would also see the route replace a footpath, a cycle path and green space on one side of the adjacent Gallions Canal as well as an island and part of the canal itself.

Landowner Tilfen Land was one of three winners in the prestigious 2003 Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) Living Wetlands Awards for creating the 630m drainage canal through the heart of Gallions Reach Urban Village.

Residents and anglers are launching a petition to save the park from the bendy buses.

Joan Chilton, 51, of Delisle Road, said: "I'm horrified. I'm not opposed to a route somewhere, but for it to cut through land that has become quite beautiful is ridiculous.

"This is my son's front garden. He fishes and plays there. All the kids in the area do.

"The route will also be segregated by a barrier. That will make the canal side inaccessible to lots of people and will take away its natural beauty."

Richie Smith-Gore, 33, also of Delisle Road, said: "People don't understand why Ken Livingstone has come up with this proposal when he has committed himself to green spaces in the Thames Gateway."

Tilfen Land says it supports the need for improved public transport links within Thamesmead, but will continue to raise concerns with TfL over the proposed route.

RSPB spokesman Adrian Thomas said: "We urge those planning the Greenwich Waterfront Transit to minimise the damage to a site which exemplifies the best in urban conservation."

Phase one of the TfL project would see a route between Abbey Wood station, Thamesmead town centre, Royal Arsenal and Woolwich by 2008.

Greenwich Council has sent out questionnaires to residents and businesses before deciding whether to safeguard the proposed route from any future building projects.

TfL says the route was chosen prior to the park's development.

A spokesman explained: "If TfL is convinced this route is the best available and it needs protecting in planning policy then it will be recommended to the local councils. If not, other routes may be proposed."