Designs unveiled for new £1m riverside park by Lots Road

Detailed concept designs have been unveiled by RBKC for a new £1m riverside park by Lots Road in SW10.

The council has created three draft options for what it calls ‘Lots Road Open Space’ to kick off the consultation process with residents and local businesses.

The new park will come to life in the empty space behind the Lots Road Pumping Station, the much-loved red brick Edwardian structure controlled by Thames Water. Historically, this area was a waste recycling depot, then a storage facility for grit. For many years it has been the excavation site for the Tideway ‘super sewer’ tunnel.

Since completion of the tunnel last year, the space has been handed back to RBKC for development as a park. Three designers have created what the council determines as “high-level outline proposals”. These concepts are now open for consultation. You can take the survey here.

Readers can access further details at a council web page here, but its imagery tool is not great for zooming in. But, relax, The Citizen is here to help! If you click the images below this report, they will enlarge sufficiently.

Consultation will run until 6th April – and is only open to residents of Chelsea Riverside ward. Once the feedback has been accumulated, the council will move towards agreeing on a final design, in further discussion with locals. Works are expected to begin in early 2026.

There will be two public meetings to discuss the project, at which ward councillors and RBKC officers will be on hand to take questions and large display boards will be on show. The first session is on Wednesday 12 March at Chelsea Theatre from 6pm to 7pm. The second one is at Cremorne Gardens on Saturday 5 April from 11am to noon.

If readers have any questions for the council regarding Lots Road Open Space, they can email: parksprojects@rbkc.gov.uk

The Citizen Says:

We hereby call upon Riverside residents to fully engage with this consultation. This an incredible opportunity to create something special and original that befits such a unique space. The council needs to hear ideas that chime with the area and its people – and not have to rely entirely on well-meaning (and well paid) designers with their CAD software. Fill out the survey. Think of ideas. Don’t walk on by!

Coming soon: The Citizen delves into the archives to take you behind the pumping station to view the open space in its raw state….