Newham School SuDS: Phase 1

Newham, a densely populated London borough built on a floodplain, faces a high risk of surface water flooding. Through a collaborative effort, Meristem Design and Regenerous completed the installation of 109 bespoke SuDS planters across 14 schools, tackling flood risks while providing educational opportunities. Co-funded by the Department for Education (DfE) and Newham Council, this project integrates flood management, environmental education, and urban greening to enhance climate resilience in schools. This is phase one of the sustainable water management scheme for Newham.

To reduce flood risk, improve urban cooling, and promote sustainable food education by installing SuDS planters and rain garden planters that capture, store, and filter rainwater. The project addresses the borough’s significant risk of surface water flooding while enhancing biodiversity and providing educational opportunities through edible planting.

The project involved the installation of 109 bespoke SuDS planters and features across 14 schools in Newham, providing a multi-functional approach to flood management and sustainability education. These schools are:

• Smarty Pants Nursery
• Carpenters Primary School
• School 21
• Stratford Manor
• New Directions
• Winsor Primary
• Ellen Wilkinson Primary
• Oliver Thomas Children’s Centre
• School 360
• Little Ilford 
• Altmore Infant School
• Star Primary School
• Calverton Primary
• Grange Primary School

Like many densely populated areas, Newham is vulnerable to the impacts of extreme weather events, including heat waves and flooding. This is largely due to the extensive paved surfaces which limit natural water absorption and increase temperatures during warm periods. According to the Environment Agency’s Flood Risk map, a significant portion of Newham is classified as being at medium to high risk of surface water flooding.

In response to these challenges, our project focused on partnering with 14 schools in Newham that are particularly vulnerable to flooding. We audited 14 schools to identify the SuDS features best suited to each school’s unique environmental and spatial needs. This audit was essential in tailoring our approach to each location, ensuring the maximum possible impact within the budget. 

Overall we installed 109 SuDS planters with over 340m2 of edible planting and 47,102.1 litres of water storage (taking into account the storage capacity / void space of the different internal materials). We also excavated 90m2 of a tarmac playground to allow for surface water infiltration at School 360.

At New Directions where we installed 14 SuDS planters, we also installed a 21m raised rain garden planter made from black powder coated galvanised steel. The raised rain garden planter allows surface water to flow in and be stored through surface-level perforations. A combination of hydrorock, granular material, geotextile membrane, and a specialised soil composition enables plants to absorb water through their roots via a wicking process. This saturates the planter’s soil, effectively storing a specific amount of water. The remaining water gradually discharges into the soil beneath the rain garden, promoting efficient water distribution.

The Newham project significantly improves flood resilience by capturing and storing over 47,102 litres of rainwater, helping reduce pressure on the borough’s drainage systems. However, our work isn’t just about preventing floods in Newham; it’s also about helping the community care for the environment and learn about growing food. We’re teaching kids to grow edible herbs and plants right in their schoolyards. The planters enhance local biodiversity by incorporating edible and native plants, supporting pollinators and creating green spaces within urban schoolyards. Students benefit from hands-on learning about water management, sustainability, and food production, fostering a new generation of environmentally conscious leaders. Additionally, the planters improve water quality through natural filtration processes, removing pollutants before water is reintroduced to the environment.

Overall, the project transforms school environments into resilient, engaging spaces that address flooding, promote learning, and inspire a sustainable future.