The upper river reaches incorporate many areas of informal landscape both on islands and along the edge. The bank edge treatment must be appropriate to these environments as well as the planting that is encouraged. Management programmes should be implemented in order to provide a sensible balance of plant life, habitats and visual interest. The following considerations are expressed as design concepts and are illustrated by diagrams. Formal tree planting can be introduced to segregate pedestrians from vehicular traffic, create greater visual continuity and improve the micro-climate.
Appropriate management is necessary to maintain views from buildings.
Openings in planting screens can create opportunities to provide 'events' such as river access, piers or minor landmarks without destroying the landscape environment. Managed planting can create filtered views and establish a subtle relationship between open space and the River. A range of landscape treatments at the River edge is considered desirable. For instance, double lines of trees can provide a dramatic framed walkway along the edge. A varied River edge that introduces a stepped section at appropriate locations allows for natural seating particularly where there is tidal change.