Quaggy Links

Restoring and improving access to the River Quaggy between Chinbrook Meadows and Sutcliffe Park

Introduction

London’s waterways provide vital networks of blue-green space for people and wildlife alike.          

In 2020, a  review of river restoration across Greater London  confirmed that more than 38km of waterway has been restored since 2000, and highlighting the opportunities for much more to be done. Whilst London's 600km of water network offers multiple benefits, ranging from greater resilience to climate change impacts to improved health and community cohesion, much of it suffers from the impacts of urbanisation or remains hidden and undiscovered behind fences and unkempt vegetation.

A section of the River Quaggy, in South East London, adjoining three separate local authority areas of Bromley, Lewisham and Greenwich, offers great potential to restore the river and incorporate these opportunities using a  Catchment Based Approach .

Quaggy Links, conceived by local  Quaggy Waterways Action Group or QWAG , is a landscape-scale project that aims to improve the ecology, functional habitat and hydro-morphological processes of the river coupled with increasing public access to, and connection with the River Quaggy between two iconic and highly popular river restoration sites at  Chinbrook Meadows  and  Sutcliffe Park , both completed in the early 2000s.

This storymap presents the first stage of the Quaggy Links project, to present a portfolio of restoration ideas, categorised by their benefits and constraints in preparation for the next stage of working towards delivery. The following maps and information will be used by the Ravensbourne catchment partners and local authorities to develop individual feasibility studies on the restoration ideas can then be developed further.

The scope of this partnership project sets out to meet key environmental, social and economic aims of the following strategic plans: the London Recovery Programme and Green New Deal Mission: Enhancing Green Spaces and Climate Resilience, the London Plan and National Park City status, and the London Environment Strategy; and local council strategies for Bromley, Lewisham and Greenwich.

Vision

"Our shared partnership vision is of an improved river Quaggy providing wider benefits for people and nature at a catchment scale, where public voices are listened to so that key enhancement and improvement opportunities for our rivers are identified... River restoration works as shown by the successes at Chinbrook Meadows and at Sutcliffe Park. Now the last major restoration of the River Quaggy beckons. We call it 'Quaggy Links' because it would link those existing restorations and could open up whole new routes for people to explore" Paul de Zylva, Chair of Quaggy Waterways Action Group

Conceived by the Quaggy Waterways Action Group, this catchment scale project aims to improve the ecology, hydromorphological quality and habitat function, coupled with increasing public access to, and engagement with, the riparian corridor. The project is guided by the objectives of the EA’s 25 Year Environment Plan,  Thames River Basin Management Plan  (RBMP) and the  Ravensbourne Catchment Improvement Plan .

The initial goals to achieve the vision are to:

  • Engage with the local community and stakeholders to gather local knowledge and technical data on the Quaggy Links riparian corridor;
  • Identify opportunities to improve the biodiversity of the River Quaggy by increasing in-channel physical habitat and flow diversity and availability, benefiting a range of invertebrates and fish species;
  • Identify opportunities to enhance and sustain hydromorphological diversity, functioning and resilience through a range of techniques;
  • Identify opportunities to reduce invasive non-native species and establish long term management plans. 
  • Create a portfolio of project opportunities along the Quaggy Links section to be developed further.

Location

The Quaggy Links project extends along the River Quaggy between two existing, highly popular restoration sites; Chinbrook Meadows in the London Borough of Lewisham, to Sutcliffe Park in the Royal Borough of Greenwich. This 4km reach of the River Quaggy passes through several green spaces, providing opportunity to deliver significant improvements inline with the project goals.

The Quaggy Links section of the River Quaggy, a tributary of the River Ravensbourne

This stretch of the River Quaggy flows through and connects communities along the London Boroughs of Bromley and Lewisham, and the Royal Borough of Greenwich.

Who's involved

The project brings together a wide range of organisations and local volunteers who are active across all three boroughs, share an interest in improving the River Quaggy's natural qualities and increasing the benefits arising from a healthy accessible river environment to local communities.

The Quaggy Links project aims to be fully inclusive, with involvement opportunities ranging from contributing local information and expert knowledge, technical expertise, and providing ideas and feedback through consultations and workshops.

  • Quaggy Waterways Action Group (QWAG)
  • Environment Agency
  • Lewisham Biodiversity Partnership
  • The Baring Trust
  • Capel Manor College
  • Rivers and People
  • LB Lewisham
  • LB Bromley
  • RB Greenwich
  • Glendale
  • idVerde
  • Imperial College
  • the many Friends of Groups in the area

Restoration opportunities

1. Sydenham Cottages Nature Reserve River and Wetland Centre

Sydenham Cottages Nature Reserve is an underused nature reserve once connected to the watercourse. It is classified as Metropolitan Open Land and a Site of Importance for Nature Conservation – Local Level.

2. Bannatyne’s Health Club river improvement opportunities

Opportunity: This open greenspace, located adjacent to the Quaggy, appears to offer opportunities to restore marginal habitats and a more natural connection to the floodplain and public access improvements.

3. Capel Manor College partnership at Jevington Way

Capel Manor College are keen to collaborate with Thames21 and QWAG to continue, and develop a programme of activities to improve and manage a stretch of the Quaggy in their grounds, flowing parallel to Jevington Way. Working with local communities, this option could offer multiple environmental and social benefits by linking river restoration and habitat management to their syllabus, creating hands-on opportunities for their students to apply their theoretical learning, develop practical skills in land-management and build connections with local volunteer networks.

4. Biodiversity Enhancement at Mottingham Lane

A current project led by Greening South East London, an environmental group of volunteers in Lewisham and Greenwich, in partnership with the EA aims to improve the habitat quality of this river reach and adjoining open space, and build community engagement. The EA have proposed renovation of the trash screen, plus two river restoration options to slow the river flow and increase biodiversity:

5. Harmony Woods

Opportunity: A narrow strip of greenspace known as Harmony Woods, located between the busy A20 and mainline railway, presents an opportunity to re-naturalise a short channelised stretch of the river Quaggy flowing through species-rich meadows. Removal of the concrete channel could create new habitat, improve the flow diversity, increase floodplain connectivity and public amenity value.

6. Fish and eel passage

Opportunity: The River Quaggy leaves Harmony Woods through a railway embankment culvert, as shown above. This infrastructure creates a barrier to fish migration, therefore, installation of a fish pass would be beneficial.

7. Civil Services Sports Ground at Eltham Palace Rd

Opportunity: The Quaggy strikes a linear course within a concrete channel through the Civil Services Sports Ground both south and north of Eltham Palace Road.

8. Improve access to, and engagement with, the Quaggy Links river corridor

To complement the restoration of the river corridor itself, Quaggy Links also seeks to improve and extend public access, and contribute to public health aims, by increasing the usage and benefits of existing paths and opening up new routes.

1. Sydenham Cottages Nature Reserve River and Wetland Centre

Sydenham Cottages Nature Reserve is an underused nature reserve once connected to the watercourse. It is classified as Metropolitan Open Land and a Site of Importance for Nature Conservation – Local Level.

The Baring Trust have received funding to renovate a small onsite building to create an environmental education centre to provide toilet facilities, basic amenities and equipment store. River restoration here would enable the river to become and education feature enable local children and families to learn about the Quaggy and restoring rivers.

Options include: removing the high vertical wall and bank re-profiling to enable safe waterside access and movement both for wildlife and people to support learning and river care activities. 

 Design ideas  prepared by the River Restoration Centre in 2008 would provide a starting point for a new feasibility study.

A vision for the site as a River and Wetland centre, to provide a hub for engagement activities focussed on the natural river environment, including walk-wades and regular river health checks, to help increase local understanding and awareness of pertinent environmental issues, has been prepared by QWAG and the Baring Trust and is supported in the  Grove Park Neighbourhood Development Plan 2018 - 2033 .

Lengths of the river wall could be used as a mural to tell the story of the river, area and potential. This could link in with the current artwork by Lewisham Nature Man and Lewisham's year as London Borough of Culture in 2022.

Constraints: The height of the concrete walls and ground level would require major bank re-profiling and material removal, incurring high project costs. Site limitations may restrict these works. Structural integrity of the current channel engineering will need to be considered. 

2. Bannatyne’s Health Club river improvement opportunities

Opportunity: This open greenspace, located adjacent to the Quaggy, appears to offer opportunities to restore marginal habitats and a more natural connection to the floodplain and public access improvements.

A range of potential options suitable in this area, are listed in order of feasibility, high to low:

In channel restoration: Could include putting in more gravel, deflectors and woody debris to restore natural processes and flood plain enhancements, making use of natural depressions in the ground to create scrapes and increase habitat for aquatic species.

Riverside public access: with new informal paths, combined with vegetation management, would open up sight lines to increase a sense of safety for walkers.

Create a larger flood storage area: incorporated into the open space with constructed wetlands, boardwalk access and interpretation. 

Constraints: There has been recent tree-planting, predominantly oak saplings, near the river corridor which would limit landscaping options. 

The river bed level is roughly 1m below the floodplain may also limit potential for connectivity and increase project costs which may not be outweighed by the benefits provided.

Japanese knotweed is present and in places extensive throughout this section. Although it has been treated in the past, it will require further treatment.

3. Capel Manor College partnership at Jevington Way

Capel Manor College are keen to collaborate with Thames21 and QWAG to continue, and develop a programme of activities to improve and manage a stretch of the Quaggy in their grounds, flowing parallel to Jevington Way. Working with local communities, this option could offer multiple environmental and social benefits by linking river restoration and habitat management to their syllabus, creating hands-on opportunities for their students to apply their theoretical learning, develop practical skills in land-management and build connections with local volunteer networks.

4. Biodiversity Enhancement at Mottingham Lane

A current project led by Greening South East London, an environmental group of volunteers in Lewisham and Greenwich, in partnership with the EA aims to improve the habitat quality of this river reach and adjoining open space, and build community engagement. The EA have proposed renovation of the trash screen, plus two river restoration options to slow the river flow and increase biodiversity:

> Install large wood deflectors to increase in-channel habitat diversity.

> Move the river channel to release the river from the confines of the concrete banks by realigning a new channel west of the trees lines on the bank. Materials arising from earthworks could be used to infill the existing river course, create bund for flood storage or a hedgerow buffer between the river and the road.

Good community links between nearby housing estates and the project developers have led to good local support for changes.

Constraints: The watercourse is currently perched and, therefore, this creates a more complex situation and potentially very high costs for moving the channel. The width of the greenspace may also be a limitation on landscaping for channel realignment and other features.   

5. Harmony Woods

Opportunity: A narrow strip of greenspace known as Harmony Woods, located between the busy A20 and mainline railway, presents an opportunity to re-naturalise a short channelised stretch of the river Quaggy flowing through species-rich meadows. Removal of the concrete channel could create new habitat, improve the flow diversity, increase floodplain connectivity and public amenity value. 

Constraints: The road and rail infrastructure may be restrictive to larger scale channel modifications. Public access to the site is limited due to the road and rail infrastructure, which may limit the social benefits this space could provide.

6. Fish and eel passage

Opportunity: The River Quaggy leaves Harmony Woods through a railway embankment culvert, as shown above. This infrastructure creates a barrier to fish migration, therefore, installation of a fish pass would be beneficial.

Potential options include construction of a rock ramp fish pass, to raise water levels over the culvert sill following designs successfully installed on similar structures on the Hogsmill (see pictures above).

Constraints: Permission from the owners of the rail infrastructure would be required. The structural integrity of the rail infrastructure is paramount, and any proposed works would need to be thoroughly assessed with considerations incorporated in proposed options which could increase project costs considerably.  

7. Civil Services Sports Ground at Eltham Palace Rd

Opportunity: The Quaggy strikes a linear course within a concrete channel through the Civil Services Sports Ground both south and north of Eltham Palace Road.

To the south, this open space includes several sports pitches used by local rugby and football clubs. To the north, downstream from the Sports Ground up to Sutcliffe Park is shown by the EA’s Flood Map to be in Flood Zone 3, therefore, improvements made to the upstream channel flow may reduce flood risk in these locations.

Running within a concrete channel for roughly 600m, this area of public open space presents many opportunities from simple in-channel habitat enhancement to more major restoration works, summarised below:

In channel habitat enhancements, through installation of marginal large wood and bed baffles together with optional gravel augmentation could create and retain diverse riverine habitats within the existing channel.

Complete river restoration, including removing concrete reinforcement and bank re-profiling to create naturalised river margin and riparian zone within the existing corridor.

Waterside safety improvements, by lowering the bank profile, safer access and exit from the currently canalised channel would provide added amenity benefits.

Constraints: The existing recreational land use may inhibit the removal of the concrete bed and bank reinforcement and banks reprofiling, although this could potentially be achieved within the current river corridor. Project viability is also impacted by the cost as removing concrete channelling is a relatively expensive option. 

8. Improve access to, and engagement with, the Quaggy Links river corridor

To complement the restoration of the river corridor itself, Quaggy Links also seeks to improve and extend public access, and contribute to public health aims, by increasing the usage and benefits of existing paths and opening up new routes.

Extending public access by opening up walking and cycling routes from Chinbrook Meadows in Grove Park to Mottingham Lane and all the way to Sutcliffe Park could support greater public enjoyment, recreation, relationship with, and understanding of, the river and the wider Ravensbourne catchment.

New blue-green routes for communities including those currently hemmed in by busy roads would connect to the proposed  Quaggy Trail  in Lee Green, extending upstream of Sutcliffe Park.

Strategic routes nearby include the south east London Green Chain Walk and Capital Ring follow routes near to the River Quaggy but both veer away from the river because of physical blockages, meaning that users miss the opportunity to follow the River Quaggy upstream and into Chinbrook Meadows to enjoy this popular blue-green space including the successfully restored river and cafe.

New routes currently unavailable to thousands of people, including residents in the Horn Park and Middle Park areas, which are among the most deprived wards in the Royal Borough of Greenwich with the greatest need for access to public open spaces as shown by the  London Green Infrastructure Focus Map .

Proposed improvements include improved signage:

> from the Capital Ring walk: to Chinbrook Meadows, and

> along the Green Chain Walk route: Marvel’s Lane to Mottingham Lane.

Natural Capital & ParticipatoryDecision making

In parallel with the Quaggy Links project development, Imperial College London are leading a research project to investigate the links between Natural Capital and participatory decision making within the Ravensbourne Catchment, focusing on the Quaggy Links reach.

Taking the concepts of natural capital and ecosystem services and drawing on wider contextual information, such as the London Mayor's  Green Infrastructure Focus Map , this research will explore how the accessibility and quality of the natural environment, contributes to the benefits people get from their surroundings, and how the recognition, identification and presentation of these can be used to improve community participation in inclusive catchment-scale decision making.

Find out more

If you're keen to get involved and hear more about Quaggy Links project development, please contact the Ravensbourne catchment partnership host, Thames21 via the link below:

Cover photo credit:

River Quaggy at Harmony Woods

David Ford