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Lost river of London returned to former glory
An award-winning landscape scheme has restored one of the capital’s ancient waterways and created an expansive wetland in the process. The River Quaggy is a tributary of the River Ravensbourne, flowing for 17km from Locksbottom in Kent through Bromley and Greenwich to Lewisham town centre. In the 1930s, the Metropolitan Borough of Woolwich diverted the Quaggy underground in culverts to protect new housing developments that were being built. As development has increased in Lewisham and Greenwich, however, so has the flood risk to low-lying areas such as Lewisham town centre. To alleviate this threat, a team from the Environment Agency brought the river back above ground, cutting a new channel for it through Sutcliffe Park in Eltham and lowering the surrounding parkland to create a floodplain. The successful scheme has now been presented with the Living Wetlands Award, run jointly by the RSPB and the Chartered Institution of Water and Environment Management (CIWEM). Richard Copas of the Environment Agency said: “Sutcliffe Park is an integral part of the Quaggy flood alleviation scheme. In times of flood, it can now hold the equivalent of 35 Olympic swimming pools of water, reducing the flood risk to 600 homes and businesses in Greenwich and Lewisham. “It is fantastic how much the wetland environment has established itself in such a short space of time and some of the species it is now attracting to this part of inner London.” He added: “This award means a lot to us. As one of our flagship projects, Sutcliffe Park is one of the most dramatic examples of how a flood alleviation scheme can not only reduce the risk of flooding, but also create significant recreational and environmental benefits. Justin Taberham, director of Policy at CIWEM, said: “This is a fantastic example of an urban restoration project that has multiple benefits for biodiversity, flood defence and leisure. What was a fairly degraded site has become an urban oasis for wildlife.” Discuss this article
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