Landscaping work to update ‘Woodmill Bay’ in Riverside Park has been delayed since its tentative start last September - it’s understood while aspects of the scheme are “redesigned”.
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The area in the park near Woodmill bridge has been fenced off, and work has ground to a halt since it started in September 2025.
Ward councillor Phil Webb (Lab) explained in a detailed post on social media this was down to concerns over “a perceived loss of safe launch point for this stretch of river”, and accessibility concerns linked to a lack of parking, including for taller vehicles. There are also possible issues for vehicles turning, such as waste services.
“Because the works sit within 16 metres of a tidal main river, above a culvert designated as a main river and adjacent to a Special Protection Area, an exemption process with the Environment Agency is required,” explained Webb.
“That regulatory process takes time.”
“These factors have required a redesign of elements of the scheme — which explains the recent inactivity and temporary measures."
The remodelling into a landscaped space was originally mooted to “improve the amenity value” of the area previously taken up with a makeshift and “non-compliant” car park. The redesign was also apparently to protect the river from surface water runoff.
Before the changes: makeshift car park at Woodmill
There have been concerns about parking and access to the river since the proposed scheme first emerged in 2022. However last September we reported it was confirmed that the area will remain open for public access to the water, and Webb noted in his post that the height barrier in the official Woodmill car park has now been opened, enabling a ‘park and carry craft across the road’ “temporary solution” for those in taller vehicles.
He added that he has been "actively chasing updates and clarity", and the scheme is “still intended to proceed” once these issues have been resolved.