]> 2026-04-14T11:10:26+00:00 Case study:Cornmill Gardens (QUERCUS) 500 en RRC summary London Rivers Action Plan EA and LA case study Approved Removal of concrete banks and bed Bank reprofiling Improvement of channel morphology London Borough of Lewisham Environment Agency Building Design Partnership Great Britain Yes No Yes true Cornmill Gardens before.JPG Cornmill Gardens facing upstream.JPG Cornmill Gardens from downstream.JPG prior to works facing upstream downstream Yes 51.463198678233,-0.013582706451416 Paul London Borough of Lewisham Chapman Removal of concrete banks and bed, Bank reprofiling,,Buffer strips,,Improvement of channel morphology, ,,, 5622 Environment Agency, Building Design Partnership, 2007-12-31Z 2454465.5 Cornmill gardens after.JPG Complete '''Site background''' Before the regeneration of this site, this section of the Ravensbourne flowed through an area known as the Sundermead Estate. The river had been constrained within a narrow concrete channel as part of an historic flood defence scheme. This, together with high steel railings and overgrown vegetation had resulted in a neglected river possessing little ecological or local community interest. The river restoration scheme formed part of the 'Urban Renaissance in Lewisham' programme which aimed to create a new public open space within the Town Centre. '''Objective''' To remove the river from it’s concrete banks and create an attractive public open space. '''Design''' Following the preparation of design proposals and a full public consultation, a masterplan was developed for the whole site. The concrete walls of the river were removed and replaced with more natural re-graded banks interspersed with steps and wooden platforms to improve river bank access. A puddle –clay liner was constructed to help restore flows. Gravels were introduced into the bed of the river. These were sized to ensure that they could move in the channel with respect to the flow conditions, thus creating natural habitat features for wildlife. Marginal areas were planted with native species such as Rush (Juncus effusus) and Yellow flag Iris (Iris pseudacorus) whilst a wildflower mix was sown along the banks. An overflow storage area which retains water during high flows was designed into the scheme by lowering an open space alongside the river. '''Subsequent Performance''' Flood management within the channel should have been improved through a combination of making space for water by reprofiling the bank and creating additional storage on the floodplain. The area demonstrates how river restoration can be an integral part of a regeneration programme the helps to create a more attractive, diverse and accessible public open space with a natural river able to support a range of wildlife; mallards and moorhens have already been cited. Cornmill Gardens (QUERCUS) cornmill gardens (quercus) No 100 London Thames Buffer strips Ravensbourne (Catford to Deptford) ravensbourne (catford to deptford) Cornmill Gardens cornmill gardens Japanese knotweed (Fallopia japonica) Himalayan balsam (Impatiens glandulifera ) European eel (Anguilla anguilla) 100 - 1000 km² 132 100 - 200 m Ravensbourne (Catford to Deptford) GB106039023270 Social benefits Spatial planning GB106039023270 Ravensbourne (Catford to Deptford) 2013-04-16T16:27:10Z 2456399.1855324 2017-06-01T12:05:45Z 2457906.0039931 Cornmill Gardens (QUERCUS) 500 1 plainlist 5 [[Category:Case study]] [[Project title::!Cornmill Gardens (QUERCUS)]] [[Subcatchment title::Ravensbourne (Catford to Deptford)]] Cornmill Gardens (QUERCUS)# QUERY6de16338ee5ae3b02738e9b07dfac775