Severn Trent has invested £76 million in flood defences for the Nottinghamshire town of Mansfield featuring integrated sustainable urban drainage system (SUDS) in the largest trial of its kind in the UK.
The project, which is funded as part of Severn Trent’s Green Recovery funding approved in May, was designed to boost the town’s resilience against increasing threat of flooding from climate change, population growth and urban development.
Construction work is due to begin early next year on the project, which includes rain gardens to capture and retain surface water during storm events in the Nottinghamshire town.
Adam Boucher, programme lead for SVT described the scheme as “truly ground-breaking” for the benefits it would bring to the town as well as acting as a blueprint for urban flooding resilience.
“We’re going to be installing planters, swales, rainwater gardens and permeable paving, that all work together in slowing rainwater down and stopping the sewerage network from becoming overwhelmed. Although sustainable drainage isn’t new, it’s never been done on this scale and will reduce the need to dig up roads and make sewer pipes bigger, which is time consuming and more disruptive.”
The company has said it will install around 15,000 “green interventions” in the district as part of a series of projects throughout next year.
Mansfield’s mayor Andy Abrahams said the project aligned with the council’s priorities around tackling climate change and making the town cleaner, greener and healthier. “It fits in perfectly with our own plans to create a memorial garden, pocket parks and increase planting in the town centre. The project will not only alleviate the increasing flood risk that comes as a result of extreme weather events and climate change, but improve the look and feel of these areas.”