River Corridors Improvement Plan
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River Corridors Improvement Plan Supplementary Planning Document London Borough of Lewisham DRAFTDecember 2014 How to give your views This draft Supplementary Planning Document is published for public consultation until: xx xx 2014 Please send comments to: POST: Planning Policy Planning Service London Borough of Lewisham 3rd Floor, Laurence House 1 Catford Road, Catford SE6 4RU EMAIL: [email protected] with draft River Corridor Improvement Plan SPD in the subject box ONLINE: lewisham-consult.objective.co.uk/portal/ planning_policy Any representations made in relation to this draft SPD will be made available for public inspection Supplementary Planning Document July 2014 Prepared by Pro Vision Planning & Design for and on behalf of the London Borough of Lewisham River Corridor Improvement Plan London Borough of Lewisham Borough of Lewisham London i Contents Executive Summary 1 Introduction................................................................ 1 2 Vision.........................................................................5 3 Policy & Strategic Context.............................................7 4 River Corridor Character Assessments........................... River Thames + Deptford Creek............................ 9 River Ravensbourne + Pool River........................ 14 River Quaggy + Kyd Brook.................................. 21 5 Access..................................................................... 25 6 Design & Development Guidelines....................... 26 Supplementary Planning Document July 2014 7 Delivery Mechanisms............................................. 48 8 Action Plan............................................................ 52 River Corridor Improvement Plan London Borough of Lewisham Borough of Lewisham London ii Executive Summary The River Corridor Improvement Plan The vision of the River Corridor prepared for Broadway Fields, Beckenham Supplementary Planning Document Improvement Plan is to protect and Place Park and Linear Park. Sutcliffe Park provides guidance relating to the rivers enhance the environment, to reduce flood demonstrates best practice in the adjacent and river corridors in the London Borough risk, to support strong, prosperous and Borough of Bexley and Royal Borough of of Lewisham. The Supplementary vibrant communities, and to contribute Greenwich. Planning Document seeks to secure to healthy communities. The plan has high quality development along the river been informed by the European Water General design and development corridors, whilst balancing environmental Framework Directive and other relevant guidelines relating to regeneration, protection and enhancement, flood risk, policies at the European, national, channel enhancement, ecological housing supply and economic growth. regional and local levels. enhancement, boundary and surface treatments, public art, access and The River Corridor Improvement Plan has The plan has identified three overarching the public realm, management and the following aims: river character areas in the London maintenance, and flood risk should Borough of Lewisham, comprising the be considered by applicants for River Thames and Deptford Creek, the planning permission and development • To provide guidance for developers River Ravensbourne and Pool River, and management officers. The River Corridor and landowners; the River Quaggy and Kyd Brook. The Improvement Plan Supplementary • To ensure high quality development public access networks traversing these Planning Document will be delivered along the river corridors; character areas could be improved through planning policy, development • To ensure development enhances the through the designation of Public Rights management, and other initiatives by the river setting; of Way across land in private ownership, London Borough of Lewisham. Partnership • To provide guidance on flood measures to reduce crime and fear of working with developers, landowners and alleviation and ecological crime, environmental enhancements and communities, and securing funding where improvements; improved connections between the Public necessary, will also support the delivery of • To ensure that development is Rights of Way and the rivers. the strategy. appropriate and that the impacts Supplementary Planning Document of development are effectively Case studies including Ladywell Fields, July 2014 understood; Broadway Fields, Beckenham Place • To engage local communities in Park, Linear Park and Cornmill Gardens flood prone areas and encourage demonstrate the current contribution appropriate action. that the rivers in the London Borough of Lewisham make to flood risk, habitat and conservation, and recreation. Design and development guidelines have been River Corridor Improvement Plan London Borough of Lewisham Borough of Lewisham London iii 1 Introduction Stepney BACKGROUND DEFINITION 1.1 1.3 This Supplementary Planning Document The RCIP defines a river corridor as (SPD) provides detailed guidance on the the width of the channel in which water Docklands hames rivers and river corridors in the London flows, as well as a river’s extensive River T Borough of Lewisham. The purpose influence on the surrounding landscape of the River Corridor Improvement and townscape. Bermondsey Plan (RCIP) is to ensure that all works along the river corridors are of a high 1.4 quality and guided by the protection A river corridor is characterised by d r o Blackheath f k and enhancement of local amenity. A the interactions between a range of t p e e Woolwich Deptford e r balance is sought between the interests natural (the influences of hydrology, D C Common Greenwich of environmental protection and geology, soils, climate, flora and fauna) Park enhancement, flood risk, housing supply and cultural (the historical and current and economic growth. impact of land use, settlement, public Peckham access and other human interventions) 1.2 components within the water course. Lewisham In the past, some sections of the rivers e n r that flow through the Borough have been 1.5 u Riv er o Q Eltham b u canalised for flood defence reasons. The RCIP applies to all sites in Lewisham s a n g ve g The RCIP seeks to provide guidance that are located within the corridors a y R r where canalised secitons of river can be of the River Thames, Deptford Creek, e v i R returned to a more natural state without the River Ravensbourne, Pool River, the increasing flood risk. River Quaggy and Kyd Brook. Sites Catford may not have a river frontage but will be closely related to the river and therefore r e Dulwich v i R have the potential to affect the river l R o iv o e Supplementary Planning Document environment. P r R a v e n s b July 2014 o u r n Beckenham e Sundridge Place Park Park Penge K yd Bro ok Bromley Beckenham River Corridor Improvement Plan London Borough of Lewisham Borough of Lewisham London 1 N 0m 1000m 1 AIMS AND OBJECTIVES 1.7 The objectives of the RCIP are set out 1.6 below: The aims of the RCIP are to: • Provide guidance for developers and • To protect and enhance the landowners; biodiversity and landscape value of the rivers in Lewisham; • Ensure high quality development along the river corridors; • To provide coordinated guidance for development adjacent to the London Borough of Lewisham’s rivers, • Ensure development enhances the promoting regeneration and ensuring river setting; design is responsive to and makes the most of opportunities to enhance the • Provide guidance on flood alleviation river environment; and ecological improvements; Sutcliffe Park • To promote the sustainable and • Ensure that development is efficient use of space by protecting appropriate and that the impacts and enhancing the multifunctional of development are effectively nature of the Ravensbourne, Quaggy understood; and Pool Rivers, Deptford Creek and the River Thames; • Engage local communities in flood prone areas and encourage • To promote opportunities to manage appropriate action; flooding; Supplementary Planning Document • Encourage development which • To safeguard and increase the role positively responds to rivers and their of the river corridors in the public July 2014 setting, ensuring that any necessary realm, contributing to the open mitigation is designed in from the space network in the Borough, and earliest stage as an inherent part of to promote opportunities for sport, the scheme; leisure, education, investment and employment; • Improve the overall water quality and Ladywell Fields river health. River Corridor Improvement Plan London Borough of Lewisham Borough of Lewisham London 2 1 Stepney • To promote social inclusion and STATUS tackle deprivation and discrimination, 1.9 ensuring that the river corridor is Docklands accessible to everyone as part of the This SPD has been prepared to support hames blueribbon network; the implementation of Lewisham’s River T Core Strategy, in particular policies Bermondsey 10 (Managing and reducing the risk • To promote opportunities for walking of flooding), 11 (River and waterways and cycling by ensuring existing network) and 15 (High quality design for d routes, such as the Waterlink Way and r o f Blackheath Lewisham), and policies in Lewisham’s k t Route 21, are maintained and where p e Woolwich Deptford e e Development Management Local Plan, r Common possible enhanced, and by promoting D C Site Allocations Local Plan and Lewisham Greenwich Park opportunities to overcome barriers to Town Centre Local Plan. the public rights of way network. Peckham 1.10 • To promote improved access