Flood resilience works completed at Barn Elms Southside

Work to help reduce flood risk at Barn Elms Southside in Barnes is now complete. The project has created more space for floodwater alongside the Beverley Brook, helping the area better cope with heavy rainfall and high river levels.

Creating more space for water

Delivered through the Community BlueScapes programme, the project has restored the connection between the Beverley Brook and the land around it. Historically, this land would naturally have acted as a floodplain – an area beside a river where water can spread when water levels rise. However, engineering works in the early twentieth century raised the riverbank, separating the brook from this area and reducing the space available for floodwater.

To restore this connection, a small section of the riverbank has been adjusted so that water can temporarily flow onto the open land at Barn Elms. A raised bank of earth, known as a berm, has been created across the site and this will function to contain the floodwater within the area, where it can be temporarily stored. 

Barn Elms Southside will only store water during rare extreme weather events, when heavy rainfall coincides with high tides in the River Thames, meaning water cannot drain away as easily and levels in the brook can rise quickly. 
By providing more room to store this excess water safely, the project will help reduce pressure on the river and lower flood risk in the surrounding Beverley Brook catchment.

What it means for the public

Flooding onto the site would happen naturally, and is expected to be shallow, temporary and infrequent. At all other times, Barn Elms Southside will remain available for public use, including football, dog walking and informal recreation.

Working with nature to reduce flood risk

The project is part of Community BlueScapes, a Defra-funded partnership between Richmond Council, Barnes Common Ltd and WWT – the charity for wetlands and wildlife.

The programme is delivering nature-based solutions across the Beverley Brook catchment to help manage flood risk, prepare for the effects of climate change and create greener spaces for people and wildlife.

You can find out more about Community BlueScapes.