Have your say on Chestnuts Park Flood Alleviation Scheme

Haringey Council, working in liaison with The Haringey Rivers Forum and others, have successfully secured funding from the GLA, Thames21 and the Environment Agency to deliver a flood alleviation scheme within Chestnuts Park.

Chestnuts Park falls within a 'Critical Drainage Area'  which means a number of properties immediately downstream of the park are at high risk of flooding. A primary focus of the scheme is to create a natural looking flood management feature (also known as a Rainscape) within the park, which helps to protect local residents from flooding, whilst still providing a exciting space for park users. This rainscape feature will be planted in such a way as to improve water quality and remove contaminants which are a risk to freshwater water creatures downstream and in the sea.

Planting the rainscape feature in this way also provides the opportunity to improve biodiversity by creating diverse habitats which wouldn't ordinarily be found within our Parks.

This Rainscape scheme has been developed alongside a wider Masterplanning exercise. Consultation on the masterplan will begin later in June.  Further information on our in-person engagement dates can be found below.

Chestnuts Park Masterplan Engagement Dates

Why have we chosen Chestnuts Park for the Rainscape project?

Chestnuts Park falls within a 'Critical Drainage Area'  which means a number of properties immediately downstream of the park are at high risk of flooding.  

A detailed programme of environmental surveys and modelling have identified the following location for the Rainscape. Locating it in this area will maximise the water storage capacity, whilst minimising the impact the on the park.

The scheme has been designed on two levels, so that the Upper Level can be used for a significant part of the year and will only hold water during extreme flood events. 

Your feedback will help design this space to ensure it remains in keeping with the rest of the park and creates a new feature for visitors in the future. 

How will it work?

The project will provide a single basin which is terraced to create upper and lower levels. 

The upper level will provide an overflow area for water storage during periods of extreme rainfall, which have the risk of causing flash flooding. We are also exploring the options for doubling up this space as an informal ‘play on the way’ or seating space during the times that the space is not holding water.

The lower level will hold some water for the majority of the year. This will be fed from the existing surface water drainage systems on our streets and will be planted as a wetland feature.

The project will also be looking at potential improvements to address the ponding of water within the main field area, which currently means that a significant part of the park is unusable during the winter months, along with a programme of tree planting.  

Waterlogging in the Park

The project has also been considering how to deal with the ponding of water within the main field area, and the deep ditches in the field, which currently means that a significant part of the park is unusable during the winter months

There will also be a programme of tree planting to support this.

We would like your opinions to help shape what the flood alleviation scheme will look like in Chestnuts Park, including how the upper terrace will be used and the look and feel of the lower terrace. 

The following pages will ask your views on:

• Planting Styles
• Usage & Features
• Furniture Style & Feel
• Other Considerations about the scheme*

*Please skip to the 'Other Considerations' page if you wish to use an open text box for wider comments.

It’s not possible to predict what the rainscape will look like in the future. Natural processes will have an impact as will the level maintenance. The initial planting scheme will have to ensure we are able to deliver with the aims of the rainscape – to reduce flood risk and to improve water quality.

We are keen to learn about your preferences and interests regarding the four options below.

A. Amenity grasses which are hard wearing and climate resilient 

B. Large area of native wildflower, which supports biodiverse planting. Please note native wildflowers can be less bright in colour.

C. More formal style of planting which has large areas of short mown grass interspersed with small shrubs and hard wearing plants.

D. Long reeds in Wetland grass habitat, surrounded by shorter grasses

In this section we will be talking about the Upper Terrace of the proposed Flood Alleviation Scheme. This will give the opportunity to give your preference for the use of this space when the area is not flooded. 

We anticipate that most of the year, this area will remain dry.

This section is to see which style of features you may like to see, whether this be seating or play etc. 

This will help us to understand the type of aesthetic which may be suitable for Chestnuts Park.

This section provides you with the opportunity to give other comments for consideration. Please take this opportunity to raise any questions or concerns you may have. 

Remember to check out our in-person engagement dates to discuss any questions about the scheme or email us directly at Parkprojects@haringey.gov.uk

Haringey Parks Team are committed to engaging with local communities and park users across the Borough to develop all schemes within our parks. We hope that you will keep updated with our Commonplace page and take part in our wider Masterplan consultation, launching later this month. 

To find out more on how you can get involved in current and future projects, email us at Parkprojects@haringey.gov.uk with your local park name!