Elm Pond Wallington restoration – Everything we know

Wallington's Elm Pond, an 18th-century ornamental pond, has been empty and fenced off since mid-2025 after a council-funded restoration ran into unexpected problems.

The project was intended to clear decades of silt, carry out minor repairs, and restore the pond and its historic fountain, but once work began it became clear that the pond's fibreglass liner was failing.

The damage, caused by both age and vandalism, has also affected the surrounding brickwork, meaning that resealing the liner is a far more substantial job than originally planned.

The restoration was awarded to Carshalton-based I & J Bushell Ltd in June 2025, with a contract worth £29,858 and a contractual end date of December 2025, three months beyond the council's original September completion target.

Work was originally promoted as a community project that would return Elm Pond to its former glory, with councillors even suggesting a "big fountain switch on" once the pond was refilled.

Instead, the site remains drained, fenced off, and without confirmed funding for the additional works required to repair the liner.

Elm Pond sits at London Road in the Carshalton Village Conservation Area, and forms part of the Wandle catchment, one of England's rarest freshwater ecosystems.

The pond's formal borders, yew hedges, and ornamental fountain were laid out between 1928 and 1930, and the last full restoration was carried out in 2004.

The original project plan was to de-silt the pond, carry out minor repairs, and restore the fountain.

Funding came from a combination of the Neighbourhood Fund and council money, with £8,077.70 from the fund and £21,922.30 from the council's budget.

However, the discovery of the full extent of the liner damage, which only became clear once silt was removed, has thrown the project off track, leaving the council to identify and approve additional capital funding before work can continue.

The site has also suffered repeated vandalism.

Notices pinned to the fencing make clear that the fibreglass liner is failing and water escaping has damaged the brickwork.

In July 2025, Cllr Sunita Gordon said the council was "delighted to see [Elm Pond] being restored for all to enjoy" and promised residents updates as the project progressed.

By August 2025, delays caused by waiting for a Thames Water licence to discharge pond water legally into the sewer were publicly acknowledged.

By December 2025, the council confirmed that resealing the pond's liner was a larger job than planned and outside the original budget, meaning works could not continue until new funding was secured.

As of March 2026, Elm Pond remains fenced off and empty.