Royal Borough of Greenwich Pocket Parks – light case study – Susdrain

Case Study

Royal Borough of Greenwich Pocket Parks – light case study

Location

s.
Native and naturalised planting enhancing and encouraging biodiversity
Planting also to capture and mitigate particulate air pollution
Planting 32no. Semi-mature trees
to increase the local tree canopy cover and assist
reducing local overheating in summer to create spaces where the community can stop
and relax.
Community: The local community were involved in the development of the proposals
from inception. Consultation took many forms
from targeted mail through doors
to
community events and drop-in session plus a website portal where comments could be
added and seen by all
at: https://greenwichpocketparks.commonplace.is/overview Following
completion Local people have taken to watering during this recent hot weather. Mell
Street Community Garden events have been held up by the Covid restrictions but
community planting will be taking place later in the summer. A Facebook page has been
set up. Christchurch Community Garden have been growing seeds that will be planted
there shortly by individuals (rather than an organised gathering). Mell Street is in a great
location to gain interest from passers-by; we have been able to instruct a community
notice board that will be added to the tool store.
Play: Pelton Road Includes ‘play on the way’ features
designed to add interest for
children on the way to the two local schools and nursery school. These include naturally
rounded boulders
hop-scotch pattern paving areas
and the granite sett SUDS planting
edge. The granite paved ‘car free street’ is also an ideal place for young children to learn
to scoot and play. The Mell street central grass area has play bounders and subtle
changes of level. There is also a meadow area with a ‘steppingstone’ path linking
through. The planting in both areas will enable children to explore the natural world.
Fitness: The adjacent gym at Pelton has used the outside street area to conduct fitness
classes. Increasingly bikes are seen utilising the many new routes.
Helping the Local Economy: Mell Street Pocket Park will enhance the setting and be a
boost for the local café’s that overlook the ‘green’. The adjacent Tesco’s store will benefit
for the increased footfall
people buying take out lunches to eat in the park. Phase 2 of
Mell Street
enhancing the Street following completion of the current construction
project
has been designed to provide mobile stalls for market trader(s).
Reducing Parking: Parking has been reduced by 8 spaces to provide the room for the
proposals. This assists toward the TfL goal of Healthy Streets and encouraging modal
shift which in turn greatly helps the lowering of emissions and highlights less reliance on
private vehicles is achievable.

Pelton Road Pocket Park lies at the junction of A102 and has been closed to traffic since the 1980s. In the intervening time a magnificent London Plane tree has grown. Unfortunately, the streetscape below was tarmac and paving slabs; as a major gateway into historic Greenwich, it was very underwhelming. The new layout centres around the formation of 3 linked drainage swales helping to reduce the stress on the local drainage system and replenish the surrounding ground water. This will both provide water for the existing London Plane tree and eight newly planted trees. Emphasis has been placed on a clutter free streetscape with improvements for pedestrians & cyclists; bollards for example, provide both signage, wayfinding and prevent vehicular ingress. The street closure on Pelton Road has been extended, creating an area where young kids can learn to scoot and ride bikes. Informal play boulders and hopscotch patterns are part of a play on the way theme that link to the two local primary schools and nursery. A large circular tree seat encompasses the existing London Plane Tree to provide many seating opportunities in a position that does not negatively impact on local residents.

A second phase at Mell Street, which can be taken forward after the major construction projects will include a shared pedestrian street feel with increased planting within a line of connected swales on the other side of the street, and space for a market stall.

Hoskins street has two major constraints: The air quality monitoring station and a medium pressure gas main that runs to the eastern side of the street. Greening proposals could not interfere with these elements. To maximise the benefit of a reduced scheme we developed proposals that extended further, to spread out the greening to include the Old Woolwich Road street closure.

Similarly, with the other pocket parks the SUDS proposals centres on removing as much surface water run-off as possible off the highway by introducing swale planting areas. The principles of the SuDS were to remove as much surface water run-off as possible off the highway and the combined sewer system in East Greenwich.

SuDS used

Retro fitting blue/green infrastructure to replace existing hardstanding areas.
Swale for Highways Drainage with ‘inlets’ from A206 (at Pelton Road).
Catch pit with perforated land drain, to ensure that the second swale area is linked in beneath the pavement dividing the two areas (at Pelton Road).
Swales for pedestrian area drainage with kerbs designed to allow surface water to flow into the rain gardens.
Porous resin bound surfacing and base to allow permeability to the sub-base (at Mell Street). Note: Generally, the paving is to the adopted standard of either paving slabs or wet laid and pointed granite setts.
Planting in line with best practice such as the UK Rain Garden Guide.
32no. New trees with tree pits designed to accept surface water but not become waterlogged (generally a very sandy subsoil with perforated pipe land drainage where possible). Tree Species have been selected for salinity tolerance, where they are within road areas that may be gritted. Where possible trees have been planted within larger swale areas rather than isolated tree pit, this gives the maximum rooting space possible. Root barriers have been used to protect existing services.
A Green roofed tool store has been constructed at Mell Street. The tool store has been specifically commissioned to fit in with the pocket park to enable the community to produce food locally. The tool store was constructed and installed by Grass Roof Co. The green roof partially attenuates the rain water. The roof planting is already flowering providing sources of nectar and pollen.

Royal Borough of Greenwich Pocket Parks – light case study

Download Case Study