A Walk on the Wild Side

Across the water from us is a large plot of several hectares that was cleared ready for redevelopment. Over seven years the road infrastructure has been completed, but the space remains unoccupied, and has rewilded spectacularly.

It is private land and the only access is to climb around the fence, balancing precariously over the water. But we did – and here are the photos

You enter a different world. A wildlife haven that has emerged all by itself, with a population of self seeded small trees such as Buddleia, Willow and White Poplar, now about 2 metres high. There are many varieties of grasses and wildflowers, now turning gold. Mosses populate old patches of industrial hard standing, where small rainwater pools have formed that reflect the sky. The ground is deceptively uneven and long horizontal shoots of bramble trip the unwary Walker.

In September there were still a variety of late flowers among the seeding grasses, including Ox eye Daisies and Evening Primrose. An impressive clump of Pampas Grass is resplendent in the wind. It looks at home in this wild landscape – freed from the 1970’s fashion of people plonking it in the centre of their front lawns.

Nearby the cranes stand out, orange against the sky, and a passing mobile crane reminds us of the close proximity of the working dock.

The space will be developed in time. The infrastructure is in place. The land is sold

It will be developed in time. The land is sold. Change will come. This is a fact. For a brief time it is a wilderness. Between past industrial use and future domestic use for homes, nature has reclaimed the land.