Barnet Council has been granted £300,000 by the Mayor of London’s Green and Resilient Spaces Fund for its flood resilience project in Watling Park, Burnt Oak.
The grant comes as part of a joint application with Harrow Council, totalling £600,000 awarded to the wider Silk Stream Catchment Parks project.
This funding is in addition to the £6 million already received from the Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs in 2021 as part of the six-year Action for Silk Stream project.
The Watling Park Burnt Oak project aims to create a flood storage basin to help prevent the risk of flood waters reaching homes and roads at the south end of the park. The underground basins will sit below new wetlands that will intercept surface water drain, improve water quality and provide additional flood storage. The project is designed to fit in seamlessly with nature, bringing new features to Watling Park and attracting more wildlife, which will have a positive impact on the local environment.
“The Council has a vision to become net zero carbon in Barnet by 2042. Using nature to solve issues such as flooding will assist in reaching the goal,” said Chair of Barnet’s Environment and Climate Change Committee, Cllr Alan Schneiderman.
“This additional funding highlights what we can achieve when we work collaboratively with the Mayor of London and our neighbouring boroughs. “
The flood resilience project in Watling Park is a part of the Action for Silk Stream project, which is a partnership between the London Borough of Barnet, Harrow Council and Thames21, the leading waterways charity. The project aims to improve water quality, enhance biodiversity and mitigate the risk of flooding in the Silk Stream catchment area.
