Soak Up Lambeth

As the impacts of climate change increase, we have seen more frequent surface water flooding in the borough, putting further pressure on our sewer system, which had not been designed to cope with recent increases in rainfall. Creating Sustainable Urban Drainage System (SuDS) schemes such as Soak Up Lambeth will help reduce current and future impacts of climate change on flood risk.

As part of the planning of Lambeth’s SuDS schemes, Lambeth is offering residents the opportunity to engage with drop-in sessions about specific local schemes. The Lambeth team are available to discuss specific scheme designs, planting options and how the SuDS will work in each area.

The changing climate in Lambeth will result in more extreme weather conditions, including hotter and drier summers but with more intense and frequent storms, and winters that are warmer but wetter for longer. When it rains in Lambeth, water from our roofs and paved surfaces run into the same sewer pipes as our toilets, sinks and washing machines etc. During heavy storms, rainwater overloads the Victorian sewers, causing flooding to those who live downstream or in low-lying areas of the borough.

In collaboration with Thames Water Utilities, Lambeth Council have launched a new £6 million sustainable drainage (SuDS) programme to protect against flood risk, making Lambeth greener and more resilient to climate change. As part of Lambeth's Climate Action Plan, released in March 2022, commitment has been made to sustainably managing 10% of all rainwater on impermeable surfaces by 2030. To achieve this and tackle the climate impacts we are already facing, we need to adopt interventions like Sustainable Drainage Systems or SuDS to make Lambeth a Net Zero compatible and climate-resilient borough by 2030.

SuDS schemes can provide an integrated approach to drainage whilst delivering flood risk, water quality, biodiversity and amenity benefits. This programme continues efforts to reduce flood risk for the borough’s residents and businesses whilst:

• providing new and improved green spaces
• reducing the “heat island” effect in built-up areas
• supporting physical and mental health
• improving air pollution

30 Sustainable Urban Drainage System schemes are being implemented across Lambeth’s parks, streets, schools and estates. The SuDS will be made up of a range of solutions from trees to wetlands, built to mimic more natural drainage pattern, as well as featured like permeable paving and below ground tanks. The types of SuD will depend on site assessments and what residents tell us through our consultations, designed to facilitate the co-design of these spaces and to engage residents in the solution meeting their needs.

Measures taken to achieve goals

The SuDS programme will provide new and improved green spaces on Lambeth’s streets, parks, estates and schools:

Streets: To introduce new or improved green space along Lambeth streets in order to sustainably manage rainfall on impervious surfaces to reduce the risk of flooding downstream

Parks: To naturally manage rainfall runoff from Lambeth's parks in order to reduce flood risk to downstream homes and businesses.

Estate Masterplan: To retrofit SuDS within the estate holistically in order to reduce the risk of flooding downstream.

Estates Direct Labour Organisations: Provide small scale SuDS to introduce biodiverse greening to the estate, while reducing the risk of flooding downstream

Schools: Due to their large extent of hard surfaces in the school grounds, and their risk of flooding from surface water - the purpose is to provide sustainable drainage to Jessops and Sunnyhill schools to reduce their flood risk, and to also reduce the flood risk downstream.