Barnes residents have praised Richmond Council for its award-winning efforts to make a residential street flood-resilient.
The Kitson Road Scheme received the Steve Berry Highways Authority Innovation Award at the 2025 Highways Awards, which took place on September 23, and was a finalist in the Environmental Sustainability category.
The project – which was completed in July – uses permeable paving and asphalt, as well as an absorbent material called Hydrorock to protect Kitson Road from flooding.
The road is now able to absorb rainfall, reduce surface water flooding, and filter out pollutants.
The council says the measures will protect 25 local homes.
Councillor Julia Neden-Watts, Deputy Leader of Richmond Council and chair of the environment, sustainability, culture and sports services committee, said: “I think the significance of the prize is that it draws attention to a different way of doing things and it highlights an issue that people increasingly need to think about.
“It highlights the action we are taking in our communities to reduce problems in the future and of course it’s really uplifting as well for the people who’ve worked really hard on a project.”
Neden-Watts explained that, prior to the works being completed, rainfall would pool on nearby Church Street and fail to drain.
Asked whether the council has similar plans for the future, Neden-Watts said: “We would love to, but we need to be methodical about it. We know there are other streets where people would like this to happen, but we need to manage expectations as to what we can do.”
The councillor cited the need to find potential funding sources, as well as prioritising the streets which are most in need of repairs.
Barnes resident Charles Campion, 64, said: “I think it’s excellent that there are these initiatives.
“Barnes is vulnerable to flooding, being close to the river, and also with Beverly Brook coming down from Bushy Park. So we need to do everything we can, really.”
One resident of the street, who asked not to be named for privacy reasons, said: “We’re thrilled that it has been done.
I think we’re lucky because they’ve made it look smart.”
The initiative, which also saw the installation of electric vehicle gullies, was carried out by Community BlueScapes: a partnership between London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, Barnes Common Limited, and the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust (WWT).
Community BlueScapes is funded by the Department for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (Defra).
Those involved in overseeing the works included Henry Cheung, the council’s assistant director of engineering; Lizzy Bunker, programme manager for Community BlueScapes; Mike Hildesley, chair of independent charity Barnes Common Limited; and Neden-Watts.
Campion, who co-founded an initiative called the Barnes Ponder, said: “Community BlueScapes has been fantastic in consulting with the local community and coming up with projects together.
He continued: “They’re doing such a good job that hopefully it will continue and it will also inspire other neighbourhoods to think about their flood resilience.”
Barnes Common Limited says that the district is vulnerable to heavy rainfall, poor drainage, potential overflow of nearby streams and rivers, waterlogged ground in wetter months, and other factors.
The council’s three-phase refurbishment of the Teddington Lock Footbridges was also shortlisted for Bridge Project of the Year at the ceremony.
Featured image of Henry Cheung, Lizzy Bunker, Mike Hildsley, and Julia Neden Watts. Credit: Richmond Council