Following the success of the Thornville Street rain garden, the St John’s Society are thrilled to announce the location of our second rain garden to be constructed in the area – outside the Brookmill pub! This project is part funded by the Mayor of London Green Roots Fund, to which we made an application in September 2025 and were one of a very select few to be successful. We were awarded £31,335.00 by the Mayor of London, and London Borough of Lewisham have agreed to match fund this with a further £50K investment in the project. The Brookmill pub is also generously contributing £1.5K which is fantastic.
The location is the current concrete roundabout at the junction of St John’s Vale, Cranbrook Road and Brookmill Road, forming an enhanced entrance and setting for the locally listed Brookmill pub. The roundabout is currently home to a green bike hangar and a single tree, which was one of two WWI memorial trees to be planted in 2018. Sadly, the other tree was felled by a dangerous driver who crashed into the roundabout last year. The roundabout also suffers from surface water flooding in wetter seasons and frequently pools, inhibiting pedestrian access.
The roundabout is ripe for more nature; the proposal will feature planted areas of drought and resistant plants, new trees and the relocation of the existing memorial tree. The rain garden will alleviate effects of local surface water flooding and provide much needed biodiversity and wildlife habitats, as well as more greenery alongside a busy road. The bike hangar will be relocated onto a bay on Cranbrook Road. We are also working on a new piece of public art which will be incorporated into the final design. Please see the current proposal below, drawn up by Lewisham Highways who we’ve been working with since the grant was awarded.
The proposal also helps deliver several aims from the local Healthy Neighbourhood initiative, which was consulted on last year; namely junction improvements, SuDs and cycle parking opportunities. We are hoping the final design will feature seating, e-bike parking and provision to connect to a possible future pelican crossing on Brookmill Road.
We hope to share more soon on expected commencement on site, and details of community planting events. Watch this space and please let us know if you’d like to get involved in making a future bid for another rain garden in our area. Email us at greening@st-johns-soc.org