Delays to mending the towpath between Kew and Richmond

Work being carried out on the towpath betweeh Richmond and Kew

Towpath not expected to be reopened until October

Work on mending the towpath between Kew and Richmond has been delayed because of constraints in the kind of plant and equipment that can be used on the tidal Thames, say Richmond Council, and the challenging conditions the engineers are facing.

The path was washed away in torrential rain in October last year.

READ ALSO: Strand-on-the-Green should “not be the next headline” after towpath collapse at Kew

Since then the towpath has been closed off to the public while engineers contracted by Richmond Council try and repair it. Work started in May and the Council said then they expected to have the path reinstated “later in the summer”.

They are now not expecting to be able to reopen the path before October.

A section of the tow path at Kew is washed away by the river; photograph Edward Ware, October 2024

“We understand of course how valuable this route is to residents, walkers and cyclists alike, and we are committed to restoring it as swiftly and safely as possible”, said Cllr Alexander Ehmann, responsible for Transport,

but “challenging access and conditions have made the installation of the sheet piles, crucial to reinforcing the riverbank, more complex than expected”.

While they are working on mending the towpath, Richmond Council is also carrying our remedial works between Richmond Lock and the breach in the path. They have unblocked a culvert and stabilised sections of the path as well as making surface level improvements.

Cllr Alexander Ehmann at the site

“These interventions form part of a longer term strategic approach to maintaining our riverside”, said the councillor.

The delay in fixing the towpath, he said, was “regrettable”, but their contractor was “working tirelessly alongside council officers to overcome the issues and to keep this project moving forward”.

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