Barnes, South West London. A borough known for its village-like feel, with a tight-knit community and tranquil riverside setting. Yet in recent months, the ongoing dispute over Hammersmith Bridge, which links Barnes to the north side of the river, has left residents anything but calm.
In the leafy borough, to utter the words ‘Hammersmith Bridge’ in the presence of a resident elicits a strong response. ‘Where do I even begin?’, asks Sasha Watkins, a student of 16, with a wry smile. Another resident simply gives a weary sigh. The feelings of both are all too clear.
It has been twenty two months since the Hammersmith Bridge debacle first began in April 2019, when the bridge was closed to vehicles by Hammersmith & Fulham Council on the grounds of ‘hairline fractures’ which supposedly compromised the bridge’s stability. On the 13th August 2020, this closure was extended to pedestrian use too.
Six months later little progress has been made, despite the government’s assembly of a taskforce in September 2020 (which was, at best, a sluggish response). Responsibility for the issue has been batted back and forth between LBH&F Council, which owns the bridge, and the government, which refuses to fund more than half of repairs (estimated to cost up to £163m).
The council argues that since the vast majority of the bridge’s users are in fact residents of the borough of Richmond upon Thames, the responsibility to pay is not theirs. Conversely, the government takes the view that since LBH&F council owns the bridge, they should be paying for it, and additionally claims that its engineers have deemed the bridge to be safe for pedestrian use.
Yet what some seem to forget is that in the midst of this political ping pong, the residents of Barnes, and indeed others from surrounding areas, remain denied a bridge. An array of stories shared by residents demonstrate the profound impacts the bridge’s closure has had on the lives of many, with some accounts almost fictional in their extremity. Children have been forced to wade through raw sewage journeying to school, while cancer patients have missed life-saving chemotherapy appointments, unable to cope with the stresses of the journey over the river.
Other stories are simply of daily frustration, of journeys extended in both duration and expense, or even cancelled entirely. Previously, a journey on foot from one end of the bridge to another would take 5 minutes. After the bridge’s closure, the journey would now take an hour and a half. This state of affairs only serves to exacerbate the resentment felt by many for both the government and the council. ‘It sounds like a weird thing to say’, says Sasha Watkins, ‘but a massive problem for our community has been having to miss out on social events on the other side of the river. In a year when it's been difficult to see our friends anyway, I think this has really affected people’s mental health’.
Watkins goes on to discuss the impacts the bridge’s closure has had on Barnes’ large elderly population. ‘Since Charing Cross is the nearest hospital, lots of elderly people rely on it. Now, it's just so difficult for them to make the journey. Many of them also have family members on the other side of the river, so they’ve ended up really isolated’.
In efforts to raise awareness surrounding the issue, residents have lobbied relentlessly. Sasha’s mother, Julia, one of the residents behind activism group Hammersmith Bridge SOS, talks about attempts to heighten the profile of the issue, including ‘three demonstrations, and constant lobbying of politicians - to the extent that I’ve been blocked by the head of H&F council on Twitter.’ The group has additionally worked tirelessly to establish a media presence, with reports written on the matter by news sites such as the BBC, ITV, and The New York Times. On Valentine’s Day this year, the group even organised for the bridge to be lit up in red, in protest over its closure.
As for what will happen next, it remains unclear. Suggestions for temporary alternatives have been vague, and they may not be available for months. Currently, companies are bidding for the rights to provide a ferry service, but this would not be in use until the 24th June at the earliest, mere weeks before schools break up for the summer. Many residents are sceptical, given the previous months of inaction, and perhaps they are right to be. After all, as Julia Watkins puts it, ‘we’ll believe it when we see it.’
