The first phase of Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust’s ground source heat project has started with the drilling of two sets of test boreholes, each comprising one deep borehole and one shallower monitoring borehole
The work is restricted to two small fenced enclosures – one to the north of the park close to the Ladywell Road entrance and the other at the southern end of the north fields near the playground.
If tthis exploratory driilling proves the scheme is technically viable, the project will work towards a second phase requiring the drilling of up to 6 further boreholes.
Once the work is completed the boreholes will not be visible to park users except for a small access hatch, about the size of a standard drain cover, which will be camouflaged from view.
Work will then focus on the infrastructure on the hospital site itself, removing old boilers and pipework and replacing them with a new network and installing the heat pump.
All works should be completed by the summer of 2028. Once installed th ground source heating system is projected to save 4,000 tonnes in carbon emissions a year.
Lewisham hospital plans groumd source heat pump project which involves drilling series of boreholes in Ladywell Fields
Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust and contractor Veolia have proposed a ground source heat pump project which aims to make Lewisham hospital’s operations more sustainable.
The trust has secured about £17m from the Deaprtment of Energy Security and Net Zero to help deliver the project.
But the proposal will have a big impact on the park. The plans involve drilling boreholes between the hospital and running track (behind Albacore Crescent).
More boreholes, which will be 150m deep, are planned for several areas in the northern part of Ladywyell Fields between the cafe and the Ladywell Road entrance.
Underground pipework will then connect these boreholes with several access hatches. All public rights of way are set to remain open during the drilling works. Test drilling will start from April 2026 with activity on site until at least late 2026.
A ground source heat pump uses buried pipes in a boreholes to absorb low temperature heat from the earth. It then uses electricity to concentrate the heat and use it for heating. The heat pump moves heat rather than generating it, offering efficient, low-carbon warmth and even cooling.
The Ladywell Fields User Group is broadly in support of the sustainability aims of the project. But it has voiced concers about some of the impact of the work and the locations of proposed boreholes – in the nature reserves and near the cafe.
The group wants assurances on the quality of the restoration work and insist the project should not lead to any deterioration in the quality of the park’s grassland.
“Overall we want minimise any detrimental impact on the park, the park users and the ecology of the park.”
Discussions are being held with the council sbout the possible social value benefits of the work. The user group says this would involve an investment by the project in the park – an acknowledgement of the scheme’s ongoing use of the park and also of the disuption caused by on-site work to park users.
The user group is concerned about the cafe. Glendale, the council’s management contractor for the park, will re-tender the Ladywell Fields Cafe contract in early 2026 just as work on the boreholes is expected to start.
“It’s not ideal,” one member of the group said. “The re-tendering process will get under way just as a series of boreholes are being drilled close to the cafe. There’s bound to be some disruption.”