Greenwich Council says emergency water top-ups have been organised and technical investigations are continuing at a lake beside Greenwich Peninsula Ecology Park, after residents raised concerns about low water levels and the condition of the water.
In a written response to a petition, the council says the Land Trust and The Conservation Volunteers, which own and manage the park respectively, have been working with engineering specialists on repairs and possible longer-term options. Discussions about a lasting solution are at an advanced stage, the council says, but it has not set out an agreed scheme or completion date.
The response appears in papers for a full council meeting on 11 November. It follows a petition led by local resident Romila Mangal, who asked for action on the lake overlooked by Greenwich Millennium Village. The petition was presented to the council on 23 September with 210 signatures; its online count displayed 237 signatures on 5 November.
Concerns about the lake
People living nearby describe the water becoming unusually low and stagnant in summer. They have reported unpleasant smells and mosquitoes. A resident has described fish appearing to gasp when water in part of the lake became very shallow last year.
The residents’ accounts do not establish how many animals may have been affected, and no verified count of wildlife losses has been provided.
The petition asks the Land Trust to consider measures including aeration, adjustments to water levels and environmentally friendly mosquito control. These are suggestions from the petitioner, not measures that have been confirmed as appropriate or approved by the organisations managing the site.
Some residents believe problems with the borehole that supplies the lake have contributed to the low levels. The Land Trust says it is working with partners to understand the system and identify a way forward. The precise cause of the recent low levels has not been established in the information available.
Short-term water and longer-term work
In its written response, the council says licensed emergency standpipe top-ups have been organised, alongside controlled use of the existing borehole. It says the Land Trust and The Conservation Volunteers have been meeting weekly with Expedition Engineering and Kilnbridge to plan repairs, continue investigations and assess the costs of major options.
The council says it supports upgrading and modernising the water system and will continue to monitor the process. It has urged the Land Trust to take necessary action with the conservation charity to protect the park and lake.
The Land Trust has also said its investigations with partners and specialist advisers are ongoing and that wildlife is being monitored in the ecology park.
The council says drought and high temperatures have compounded the water-quality issue. No water-testing results were available in the information reviewed; residents’ descriptions of the smell do not establish that sewage is present.
A shared local habitat
The ecology park has been open since 2002. Its freshwater habitats include two lakes, marshland and a small alder woodland. The park is designated a Site of Local Importance for Nature Conservation and is also used for school visits and volunteering.
The Land Trust says ownership transferred to it in 2011, while The Conservation Volunteers manages the park on its behalf. Greenwich Council says it does not own or manage the lake, although it has encouraged local groups to explore its neighbourhood growth fund, which uses contributions from development to support community projects.
The council has not set out a timetable for a permanent repair or a final funding arrangement. No grant for lake works has been confirmed.
Featured image: AI-generated illustration.
