Boston Manor Park in Brentford is currently the site of a large council operation to dismantle an unauthorised encampment on Clitherow's Island. Hounslow Council has initiated the removal of the encampment, which had been fenced off and inaccessible to the public for several years, in order to restore the land for community use.
Council Action to Restore Public Access
Hounslow Council has begun action to remove the unauthorised encampment on Clitherow's Island, within Brentford's Boston Manor Park, and restore the public's right to access the land. Until today, the area had been fenced off without permission and made inaccessible to the public. The encampment, which has been in place for a number of years, has led to increasing concerns about public nuisance, antisocial behaviour, sanitary conditions, environmental damage and the long-term condition of this area of the park. The island has become largely inaccessible to the wider community as a result.
The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) understands that a number of boats moored without permission are being removed. The people living in the encampment are understood to have occupied the land with caravans and other structures before fencing the area off with locked gates. Several staff employed by Hounslow Highways attended the encampment to bring it back into council hands.
Plans for a Community Orchard
Boston Manor Park is a Grade II listed historic park and a key green space within Hounslow. There are now plans to plant a community orchard on the site which had been taken over. Cllr Salman Shaheen, Cabinet Member for Environment, Transport and Public Realm at Hounslow Council, described the area as one of Hounslow's much loved green spaces.
He added: "Today, the locked gates that once prevented the public from accessing this beautiful corner of Boston Manor Park have come down. We are opening Clitherow's Island up once more and giving it back to the people of our borough. Boston Manor Park is one of Hounslow's most loved green spaces, and it is right that it should be enjoyed by everyone. We look forward to returning full access to this area of natural beauty, to clearing out years of detritus, and to planting a new community orchard for everyone to access."
Nature Recovery Work
Once the area has been cleared, the council will begin "nature recovery work" to reinstate the island's ecological value with the aim of planting this new community orchard. It will focus on improving biodiversity, repairing damage to the landscape and returning the area to a safe and accessible condition.
Former Mayor, Cllr Amy Croft, Cabinet Member for Infrastructure, Enforcement and Recycling, said it was a complex issue which needed a careful approach. She added: "This has been a long-standing and complex issue. We have taken a careful and considered approach, but it had become clear that action was urgently needed. Our priority is to address the impact on residents, protect the environment, and ensure that access to this valuable public space can be fully restored for the benefit of the whole community."
