In the 1930s, part of a long river brook that runs through Dagenham was covered over to create a playing field, and there’s now a plan to uncover it again.

This is part of a wider trend to recover lost rivers and streams that were buried in pipes or to break down concrete walls that once constrained them so that the wildlife around the area can flourish.

The Gores Brook runs from a spot between Dagenham and Becontree and runs south down to the Thames.  You can’t see the source of the brook though, as it runs through a concrete pipe under Parsloes Park, a large open space that was created when the area was first developed from fields into housing in the 1930s.

South of the District line railways, it emerges into a narrow brook running through Goresbrook Park, and then it winds through residential and industrial areas but is hemmed in with concrete walls.

A plan now exists to undo the 1930s culverting under Parsloes Park and reopen the brook to the air and create a long line of wildlife and ponds through the park. The park is one of the largest in the borough, but during the summer months, the large open plain of glass is pretty barren, and uncovering the brook will encourage a lot more trees to grow creating shady spots for animals and humans alike.

The plan is not just good for the environment though, as the park can flood during intense rainfall, and manholes can even blow their lids, so creating a natural drain with storage ponds in the uncovered brook will help alleviate those effects.

The plans are at a very early stage, but Thames21 says that initial consultations are likely to start later this year, with final design proposals to be completed at the end of the year.

Subject to all that, a wide open monoculture of a field will gain a long winding line of trees and bushes growing around a newly opened waterside space and providing a habitat to lots of insects and birds.

Details are here.