Lower Ham Road Rain Gardens
Overview
Tackling climate change and ensuring a greener future for the whole borough is a top priority for the council. We want our neighbourhoods to be resilient against climate change and heavier rainfalls. We are looking to create a number of rain gardens in your neighbourhood as part of a wider London strategic sustainable drainage scheme (SuDS) pilot.
What is a rain garden?
Rain gardens are designed to be both beautiful and functional. They soak up and naturally filter rainwater, reducing flood risk from storms and enhancing water quality year round. They also create more biodiversity providing a habitat for local wildlife, reduce standing water with minimises mosquitoes and pests and provides and opportunity for carbon capture. They also help keep the street cool.
Our work in this area has identified the end of Lower Ham Road, adjacent to Lower Kings Road as a suitable location to build two rain gardens.
Location of the rain garden
The map shows the location on the road where the rain gardens will be built. Parking capacity will be reduced by one space, pedestrian access is not affected. The location has been chosen to enable vehicles to continue to turn at the end of the road.
Previous surface water flooding on Lower Ham road.
We invite all residents and community members to share their thoughts, helping ensure local perspectives guide our decision-making. Every contribution is valued as we work together to enhance our community’s beauty and long-term sustainability. Insights gained from this pilot project will help shape future drainage schemes that are well-designed, effective, and responsive to community needs.
This site was selected after evaluating potential places for installing drainage features in the Kingston and North Kingston neighbourhood. We identified where a rain gardens will provide the best balance for benefits to cost. We also considered potential implementation difficulties and wider benefits including water quality.
Once complete, the rain garden will be similar in appearance to the example shown below.
Maintaining the rain gardens
The council will be responsible for maintaining the rain gardens. However, residents and members of the community will be welcome to be part of the planting and the garden maintenance, with planting choices made with a view to sustainability and low maintenance requirements. The chosen plants will need to be hardy enough to survive flooding in well drained soil but also long periods of dry weather. Please contact us if you or your community group are interested in getting involved at flooding@kingston.gov.uk. Together, we can create something beautiful and sustainable.
We look forward to hearing your views. If you need help accessing materials, or need any of the information in a different format, please get in touch with us by emailing us at flooding@kingston.gov.uk, or call our contact centre on 0208 547 5000 and ask for a member of the Flood Risk Team to call you back.
Areas
- Canbury Gardens
Audiences
- Community groups/ organisations/Residents' Associations
- Residents
Interests
- Climate Change and Environment
- Highways and Transport
- Neighbourhoods
- Parking
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