Flood management projects
The London Bridge area
In Southwark’s 2011 Surface Water Management Plan (SWMP) London Bridge was identified as a Critical Drainage Area (CDA). A CDA is an area where multiple or interlinked sources of flood risk cause flooding during a severe rainfall event affecting people, property and local infrastructure.
To help reduce flood risk in the London Bridge CDA, three sites were chosen for Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS):
- Snowsfields
- Melior Street
- Lewes House
Snowsfields
At the junction of Snowsfields Road and Melior Place a rain garden has been installed with an underground tank to capture surface water during extreme rainfall. This has also supported urban greening in the London Bridge area.
Melior Street
Similar to Snowsfields a rain garden has been installed at the end of Melior Street with an underground tank to store excess rainwater. The project has pedestrianised the end of the road and now directs water into the new rain garden.
The rain garden has also been planted which contributes to a greener, more carbon-conscious future for the area.
Lewes House
Work was done at Lewes House North and Lewes House South.
The work at Lewes House South involved disconnecting the rainwater pipes from the Lewes House building and the adjacent garages from the sewer system. Rainwater is now directed into two large bespoke planters which will store rainwater before reconnecting to the sewer system and releasing the water at a slower rate.
The work at Lewes House North installed another rain garden with an underground tank which will store rainwater during extreme rainfall.
The results
The rain gardens and planters slow down and store surface water. This helps to reduce pressure on the sewer system and lower the chance of severe surface water flooding. Rain gardens also improve water quality by filtering pollutants from the water.
Partners
Meristem Design provided the planters installed at Lewes House South. Read more about SuDS planters on Meristem Design's website.
Team London Bridge aided in the planting of rain gardens at Snowsfields and Melior Street which contributed to their London in Bloom 2023 entry on behalf of the London Bridge Business Improvement District (BID). The work was judged as a GOLD standard area and category winner.
Page last updated: 12 June 2024
