Thames 21 organised our first planting day recently in the new wetlands area. It was a cold day but that didn’t deter 19 volunteers from getting stuck in and planting 550 young plants on three levels around one of the new ponds.
The next planting day will be in Spring 2024. We are really looking forward to seeing the planting settle in and doing the work of filtering the water so that it enters the Quaggy in a less polluted state. Meanwhile, the local wildlife will really benefit from this new improved space.
Early ideas for this project were put forward in 2015. Lawrence Beale Collins worked with John Bryden at Thames 21 and Lawrence made this early design sketch below. Also involved were Nick Pond from Lewisham Council and Pete Ehmann from the Environment Agency
Lawrence worked with us Friends of Chinbrook Meadows to consult with as many local residents and park users as possible that year but then a combination of lack of funding and waiting for permissions held the project up till now. Thames 21 got funding confirmed in 2022 and were able to engage the contractors Aquamaintain who have created the four ponds on the old field, releasing the tributary from its culvert into the ponds where it will eventually filter through reedbeds. A little more information is available on Thames 21 website here
Friends of Chinbrook Meadows 