Near the avenue (8)
I believe the answer is:
approach
I believe this clue is a double definition.
'near' is the first definition.
(synonyms)
'avenue' is the second definition.
(I've seen this before)
'the' is the link.
(Other definitions for approach that I've seen before include "Come near or nearer to" , "Go towards" , "Drae near" , "Come closer" , "driveway" .)