I’ve been a personal trainer in London for over 20 years, and in that time, London has become a lot more pedestrian and cycle-friendly. However, London can still do a whole lot better to promote active travel. One major improvement would be more pedestrian/cycle bridges across the River Thames.
Back in 2013, over a decade ago, Wandsworth Council and Hammersmith & Fulham Council granted planning permission for the construction of an exciting new footbridge alongside Battersea Rail Bridge. It was initially called the Diamond Jubilee Footbridge, but the project is now called the Cremorne Bridge, named after the riverside Cremorne Gardens in Chelsea.
The bridge, which still awaits construction, was designed by One World Design architects. It will link Lombard Wharf, Battersea (on the south side of the river) to Chelsea Harbour (on the north side of the river). In 2016 the property developer Barratt London built foundations on the Battersea side, a promising start, but since then the project has stalled, due to a funding battle with City Hall.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan appointed TfL as the delivery agent, and in July 2019 made positive noises about the proposed bridge, saying it would be “a useful addition to the local area”, but declined to contribute funding when he became more focused on bridges and tunnels in East London.
Wandsworth Council has earmarked funds, and the London Mayor says that all the funding needs to come from a combination of Wandsworth Council, Hammersmith & City Council, and possibly Kensington & Chelsea Council (which has been in talks to find new funding streams connected to riverside activities). Not joint agreement has yet been reached, over a decade after planning permission was first granted. The estimated cost of the bridge is £32 million.
In August 2020, New Civil Engineer reported that Sadiq Khan effectively snubbed the project by excluding it from his list of “shovel-ready” projects, despite two thirds of the £32 million total funding already having been secured.
In November 2022 Wandsworth Council put the project on hold due to the current economic climate.
In 2022, a director of One World Design architects said “The project is still alive.” The design consists of 3 spans supported by 4 piers, two of which will be in the river itself. There are also plans to upgrade the Thames Path on both sides of the bridge. In 2024 the Cremorne Bridge was shortlisted for the NCE Bridges Awards, but it won no prizes in the awards ceremony in July.
There’s a strong argument for Sadiq Khan to step up and fill the funding shortfall. As London Mayor, he has championed active travel, cycle routes, and cleaner air in London with the ULEZ schemes to reduce air pollution. The Cremorne Bridge would make a major contribution to active travel for ordinary people in London, unlike the disastrous Garden Bridge project when Boris Johnson was Mayor of London, which was largely a vanity project designed for private corporate entertaining.
Cremorne Bridge would obstruct no existing views, as it would run alongside Battersea Rail Bridge. It is practical, low-cost, and gimmick-free. More pedestrian and cycle connections across the River Thames are much needed in London. The bridge would promote physical exercise, reduce road congestion and road traffic accidents, relieve pressure on Clapham Junction, and reduce air pollution.
London has several fantastic pedestrian bridges across the Thames, such as the Millennium Bridge with its iconic view of St Paul’s Cathedral, and the Golden Jubilee Footbridge which runs alongside Hungerford Rail Bridge and links the Embankment to the South Bank. Cremorne Bridge would be a worth addition to London’s pedestrian bridges. I’m in favour of anything that encourages Londoners to engage in more physical activity.
(Dominic Londesborough is a personal trainer in London and an online nutrition coach)
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