13/05/2005 - Residents
in Greenwich and Lewisham are invited to an
open day on May 18 to hear about the Environment
Agency’s third and final phase of the River
Quaggy flood alleviation scheme – which will
reduce the risk of flooding to approximately
600 homes.
New flood defences will be built, existing
defences repaired or replaced, and 3km of
the river enhanced. Construction work on the
£20.4 million Quaggy flood alleviation
scheme began in April 2003 in response to
considerable flooding problems in Greenwich
and Lewisham, caused by the inability of the
river to contain extreme storm flows.
The River Quaggy rises from natural springs
South of Bromley, near Locksbottom, and flows
into the River Ravensbourne in Lewisham, close
to the station.
The first stage of the scheme, tackling the
area from Eltham Palace Road to west of Kidbrook
Park Road, was completed was completed in
June 2004 and involved the construction of
a flood storage area in Sutcliffe Park. Most
of the time the park is a valuable community
area and important wildlife habitat, but in
the event of a flood it can store floodwater
temporarily. This reduces the high flows in
the river channel, reducing the risk of flooding
to homes and businesses downstream.
Channel improvements at the John Roan School
playing fields were also carried out as part
of phase one. This involved the removal of
the concrete channel and softening a river
bend. A family fun day was held at Sutcliffe
Park in June 2004 to mark the completion of
this first phase.
Phase two of the scheme was completed in
February 2005, when a second flood storage
area was constructed at Weigal Road Sports
ground. This is used in a similar way to Sutcliffe
Park and provides added protection to the
properties downstream of the sports ground.
Now the Environment Agency is preparing for
the start of the third and final phase. This
will deliver an even greater reduction of
flood risk and will involve the construction
of new river defences, the repair and replacement
of existing defences and the environmental
enhancement of 3km of channel between Meadowcourt
Road, Lee Green and Clarendon Rise, Lewisham.
Environment Agency flood defence manager
Ian Tomes said: "We are very pleased
to have reached the final phase of this important
scheme. The previous two phases have already
significantly improved flood risk in the area,
and phase three will continue to build on
this. We are looking forward to seeing residents
at the open day on the May 18 and answering
any questions they may have."
Work on this phase started on May 9 2005
and will be complete by the end of 2006.
Residents can find out more about the Quaggy
flood alleviation scheme at the open day,
being held by the Environment Agency at the
Breheny site office in Weardale Road, Lewisham,
on Wednesday May 18. Sessions will be held
between 10:00 to 12:00 and 19:00 to 21:00.
