London car parks could be turned into reservoirs to stop areas of the city being left underwater due to climate change.

Lewisham Council is considering using car parks to store excess water as part of its efforts to stop the borough flooding in the coming years.

The local authority’s flood risk management strategy for the next five years says curbs or embankments could be built around flat car parks to store water during floods.

Converting car parks into temporary reservoirs would be a cheap method of storing large amounts of water, according to the document. 

It reads: “Car parks often have potential to be converted to store shallow depths of flood water during extreme flood events without significantly affecting their serviceability; for example creating a 100mm high kerb or bund around a fairly flat car park whilst leaving the conventional drainage system intact can store relatively large volumes of water at low cost.”

The innovative scheme is one of many measures Lewisham Council is considering to stop the borough going underwater in the coming years.

Others include restoring natural floodplains in areas and creating wetlands.

A reservoir could also be created in Beckenham Place Park to store excess water, according to the document.

While Lewisham hasn’t experienced serious flooding since 1968, the borough is expected to be hit by more regular and severe flooding in the coming years as a result of climate change.

The Great Floods of 1986 saw the railway tracks through Catford Bridge Station turn into a stream after heavy rainfall caused the River Ravensbourne to burst its banks. 

Rainfall is predicted to increase by 20 per cent by 2080 putting the borough at greater chance of going under water.

The council’s flood risk management strategy for 2022-27 continues: “Climate change is likely to affect flood risk through sea level rise, more frequent and higher storm surges, increased winter rainfall, drier summers with periods of more intense summer rainfall. 

“These effects are likely to result in increased frequency and magnitude of flooding in Lewisham.

"No climate model can give a single definite answer to what the future will look like, however, Climate Projections 2018 (UKCP18) predicts that winter rainfall could increase by around 20% by 2080 with greater intensity of rainfall increasing the risk of flooding.”

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