Georg Thesmann with his remote-controlled boat. Right: Mr Thesmann’s boat in action

A WATER feature was not part of the final plans for the multi-million-pound redevelopment of Highbury Corner.

Yet, a “magical lake” has nonetheless repeatedly appeared in the new pedestrian square complementing the shrubs and trees in the nearby arboretum.

Passer-by Georg Thesmann thought the body of water, which appears to be forming around a drain, looked perfect for his remote-controlled speed boat.

He brought the boat down to what has since been dubbed “Highbury Lake” on Tuesday afternoon.

The video of his exploits was published on social media by his friend Lawrence Curtis and it has been viewed hundreds of times, with armchair engineers furiously speculating on the cause of the flood.

Mr Thesmann told the Tribune: “The health group I’m involved in with Laurence meet at Highbury Corner almost every morning after we’ve done some exercise in the park.

“Then one day the magical lake appeared out of nowhere. I thought it would be quite amusing to put it to good use so I brought my boats down.

“Kids loved it when they saw us and people couldn’t really believe their eyes.”

He added: “I’m not having a go at the council or Transport for London (TfL) on this. On the contrary, if they could keep it there that would be great. Then I could stage a regatta around the tree.

“I suppose I might be shooting myself in the foot here as people are using this footage online as a signpost for the council to sort it out. They get so upset about the whole thing. It’s pretty bland, the Corner, and I think the lake gives it a bit of life.”

The video of Mr Thesmann’s racing on Tuesday is not the first time the area has been flooded. The last time it appeared was over winter. Then Mr Thesmann brought out his crocodile-shaped boat for a spin.

The footage was spotted by Highbury East councillor Caroline Russell who reported it to TfL.

When the water had disappeared momentarily, it was believed to have been fixed but it returned this week, sparking anger online.

Upon seeing the lake in Mr Thesmann’s footage on Twitter, Joseph Kaz commented: “Are you kidding me? It’s still not been resolved!? How are TfL being allowed to get away with kicking this into the long grass?”

He added: “Odd, isn’t it how an organisation can be so incompetent at times? It appears one arm doesn’t know what the other is doing. All they had to do was put a standpipe in, turn it on full blast and check the water drained after doing whatever they did.”

Mr Kaz believes the problem lies in the “huge soakaway” system that is installed underneath the stone slabs.

A TfL spokeswoman said: “We have investigated the cause of the drainage issue around Highbury Corner and the issue requires further examination by our engineers. We apologise for any disruption this causes to people walking around the area and we will work to resolve the problem as quickly as possible.”

An Islington Council spokesman said: “We’re working with Transport for London to address this problem as quickly as possible.”
The health project Mr Thesmann is involved with is called Healthy Minds Healthy Bods.

To find out more go to www.hmhb2016.org.uk