Year
2016
Abstract
The communities of Pickering and Sinnington in North Yorkshire are prone to flooding, with frequent events since 1999. However, earlier plans to provide flood alleviation schemes were not affordable
In 2008/9 a partnership made up of Defra agencies, local authorities, academics and the local community successfully applied for funding for a demonstration project to look at how changes in land use and land management could help to reduce flood risk, as well as provide other benefits.
The ‘Slowing the Flow’ project subsequently undertook catchment scale modelling to target the implementation of a wide range of measures to reduce, slow and store flood water in the landscape and reduce the scale of flood generation downstream.
Observational evidence and assessments of rainfall and flows during recent events have indicated that the delivered measures are working as expected, with detailed hydraulic modelling showing that they will reduce the probability of flooding in Pickering from a previous 25% chance in any one year, to a 4% chance or less.
The project has clearly demonstrated how a strong partnership approach can succeed in delivering an integrated set of land management measures to reduce flood risk at the catchment scale, as well as provide wider multiple benefits for local communities.
Regular interest from across the country has been accommodated through the partnership, which has spread the key messages, findings and conclusions of the project.
Longer runs of data are needed to determine the full impact of the measures across a range of flood flows; monitoring will therefore continue.
To build on the project’s success the Partnership is working with others to explore how similar approaches might be scaled up substantially across the Derwent catchment as a whole
In 2008/9 a partnership made up of Defra agencies, local authorities, academics and the local community successfully applied for funding for a demonstration project to look at how changes in land use and land management could help to reduce flood risk, as well as provide other benefits.
The ‘Slowing the Flow’ project subsequently undertook catchment scale modelling to target the implementation of a wide range of measures to reduce, slow and store flood water in the landscape and reduce the scale of flood generation downstream.
Observational evidence and assessments of rainfall and flows during recent events have indicated that the delivered measures are working as expected, with detailed hydraulic modelling showing that they will reduce the probability of flooding in Pickering from a previous 25% chance in any one year, to a 4% chance or less.
The project has clearly demonstrated how a strong partnership approach can succeed in delivering an integrated set of land management measures to reduce flood risk at the catchment scale, as well as provide wider multiple benefits for local communities.
Regular interest from across the country has been accommodated through the partnership, which has spread the key messages, findings and conclusions of the project.
Longer runs of data are needed to determine the full impact of the measures across a range of flood flows; monitoring will therefore continue.
To build on the project’s success the Partnership is working with others to explore how similar approaches might be scaled up substantially across the Derwent catchment as a whole
Publisher
UK Parliament
Case study(ies)
Source type
Grey Literature