2016-2020
On a July day in 2013 that started sunny, a sudden thunderstorm hit locals in Southwell. Water came gushing down the main road and over soil baked dry over the summer months. Many locals were taken by surprise by water flooding down the main road and into homes and businesses, causing significant damage and emotional stress. Determined to be prepared for the next event, locals joined forces with Nottinghamshire County Council and the National Flood Forum and formed Southwell Flood Forum; a community initiative, designed to reduce the risk of future devastation by bringing the best available flood risk mitigation methods to the community.
Consequently, European Union funding (INTERREG FRAMES) was secured in partnership by the Trent Rivers Trust, Nottinghamshire County Council and National Flood Forum to pioneer the use of Natural Flood Management in the catchment. The project was a large-scale collaboration between 15 pilot projects, across 5 countries with the main aim to integrate the Multi-layered Safety Approach into future flood risk policy, by using Natural Flood Management, the idea of working with nature to store and slow the flow of water. The project was a huge success and was shared nationally and at a European Level.
To primarily use natural flood management (NFM) as the main way to store and reduce the peak flow of water downstream in a flood event within the catchment. However, NFM had not been used at larger catchment scales nationally. During project delivery, natural flood management was becoming established in communities and expert circles, and evidence was increasingly showing that it can play an integral role in a multi-layered safety approach into future flood risk reduction and national policy.
Building relationships with landowners, those affected by flooding and local decision-makers, we were key to delivering a successful project. Closely collaborating with Southwell Flood Forum and Nottinghamshire County Council, Trent Rivers Trust planned and delivered the capital works on the ground.
In total, 43 NFM measures across 12 landholdings were installed. This now provides around 4000m3 of additional water storage within the upper catchment.
The value of the project came to life through talks held at various conferences, such as those held by Westminster Insight and the River Restoration Centre. 178 organisations were directly informed of the project, its outcomes, and lessons learnt. As part of this objective, a national conference was held in Newark to showcase the project, guide future NFM projects and discuss future flood risk management strategies within the UK.
For the Trent Rivers Trust, the Southwell marked a milestone, acknowledging the importance of nature-based solutions as we continue to put nature at the heart of community resilience.
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