Environmentalists have called for the revival of Southwark’s ancient rivers, including a forgotten waterway running underground from Denmark Hill to Bermondsey.
Southwark Nature Action Volunteers (SNAV) made the ambitious proposal to Southwark Council, at the Environment Scrutiny Commission on Tuesday, February 27.
The group suggested reviving Earl’s Sluice and the River Peck could improve the borough’s biodiversity.
Jenny Morgan, a SNAV volunteer, said: “We have got the Earl’s Sluice and the River peck. It would be great if parts of those could be uncovered.
“I know that’s a big ambition but put the idea out there.”
Cllr Catherine Rose, in charge of leisure and parks, said that while the council was “not currently considering restoring Southwark’s ancient rivers”, it was interested to hear more about SNAV’s proposal.
Such a project would mean removing the culverts – concrete structures that have been built to redirect the rivers since the early 19th century.
Earl’s Sluice runs underground from Ruskin Park and joins the River Peck in south Bermondsey before emptying in Deptford.
The waterway was once used to berth sailing ships and arctic whalers but was largely culverted in the 1830s and 40s.
The River Peck, after which Peckham may have been named, connects with the Earl’s Sluice in Bermondsey and runs to Peckham Rye Park.
Most of it was enclosed in the 1820s but an above-ground section remains in the park, where it is said to feed a pond.
Neither SNAV nor Southwark Council has said how much the rivers’ revival would cost nor the stakeholders involved – but it has been possible elsewhere.
Over the last thirty years, the River Quaggy, a 17km waterway running through Bromley, Greenwich and Lewisham, has undergone major restorations at several points.
In 2002, a straight concrete channel was bulldozed allowing the river to meander naturally across Chinbrook Meadows.
QWAG, the river’s campaign group, wrote online: “Naturalising the river as it flows through the park has provided an ecologically sound method of mitigating this flood risk.”
Jenny Morgan also told councillors that similar schemes had been “achieved to great local benefit and international acclaim in places as diverse as Seoul and Los Angeles”.
Councillor Catherine Rose, Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods, Leisure and Parks, said: “We welcome any idea that helps protect, conserve, and enhance nature in the borough. While we are not currently considering restoring Southwark’s ancient rivers – a logistically challenging idea linked to bringing underground segments of rivers above ground in built up areas – we are interested to learn more about SNAV’s proposal.
“We are committed to protecting and improving our available freshwaters, as outlined in the Southwark Nature Action Plan. We are due to begin ecological improvement works in Peckham Rye Park and Belair Park to expand and enhance wetland habitats while reducing the risk of flooding for residents”.
SNAV were approached for comment.