Mayor of Newham opens new walkway linking Newham with Tower Hamlets

Mayor of Newham, Rokhsana Fiaz, has marked the opening of a new walkway that will increase access for pedestrians and cyclists travelling between Canning Town Riverside and the River Lea.

The Mayor of Newham, Rokhsana Fiaz, has marked the opening of a new walkway that will increase access for pedestrians and cyclists travelling between Canning Town Riverside and the River Lea.

The £593,000 project, which took nine months to build, links Canning Town Station in Newham and Silvocea Way in Tower Hamlets, avoiding the busy A13.

Mayor Fiaz said: “This path will provide residents with the opportunity to choose alternative methods of travelling around London, for example walking or cycling. This will help to contribute to reducing pollution and help Newham reach its target of being carbon neutral by 2030 and carbon zero by 2050.

“This new walkway will make walking and cycling to work a viable option for many more people in the two boroughs. It also opens up the River Lea River Park and will allow Newham to make the most of its waterways.”

It will contribute to both boroughs’ ambition to link the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park with the River Thames with one route.

Mayor Fiaz officially opened the path, which was designed and delivered by Newham Highways and Traffic Engineers, with the Mayor of Tower Hamlets, John Biggs. Both Mayors are involved in a joint Leaway forum as part of collaboration between the boroughs of Newham and Tower Hamlets.

Mayor Biggs said: “I’m delighted that this important Lea River Park connection is now complete. It has been many years in the making and I know it was no easy feat.

“It will provide a great link to Canning Town for the residents of Tower Hamlets and specifically from Aberfeldy Estate, away from the A13.

“I’m looking forward to working on more projects with Mayor Fiaz, including the new parks, footpaths, cycle and pedestrian bridges proposed along the River Lea.”

The team from Aberfeldy LLP who contributed £30,000 towards landscaping, tree planting, graffiti cleaning, light columns and surfacing works to the path, were also present. Aberfeldy LLP is a joint venture between Poplar HARCA and EcoWorld London to develop the Aberfeldy Village project in Tower Hamlets.

Published: 23 Oct 2019