Creeknet friends continue to meet-up on Mondays at locations up and down the tidal reaches of Deptford Creek. The steps have been inaccessible to public for 20 years but are now scheduled to re-open for viewing at the Creeknet XF Symposium in June 2017.
At the end of recent walk in March we looked again at the Hoy Steps as we consider the tasks ahead to clear the street level yard, remove stacked wooden pallets and unchecked tree growth.
Please join the clear up day on Tuesday 13 June at 9:30am for a low tide start.
This week we returned at low tide to have a good look from the beach. The lower risers of the 20 steps are badly eroded not least because they spend 80% of the day submerged. The sea wall shows glimpses of more ancient timber structure through the patchy concrete. We have yet to asses costs to fix the steps but in the interim work to clear the trees and rubbish at the street level can begin in May.
Thames Tideway consortium have begun constructing a sewage overflow system from Ealing to Beckton. Excavation work has already begun at Deptford Church Street and Greenwich Pumping Station. At the quarterly Community Liaison Working Group they suggested their employee volunteer program could contribute much needed support for local projects. So far they have relied upon Thames21 to organise and operate volunteer engagement, clearing litter and logging the scale of plastic rubbish in the river. We are assured a more direct involvement is possible so met their community relations representatives this week to make an assessment. Unfortunately we heard not long after they won’t be supporting this Hoy steps clear-up initiative. ):