Shropshire floods: Environment Agency launches project to protect 3,000 homes and 1,000 businesses along River Severn
The Environment Agency has begun work to protect up to 3,000 homes and 1,000 businesses along the River Severn from flooding.
Part of the Severn Valley Water Management Scheme will see flooding officers working with partners and the community to find ways to better protect against flooding across parts of Shropshire
An initial phase considered the possibility of combining a water management scheme with Shropshire Council’s plans for the North West Relief Road. The Environment Agency found a number of constraints with this approach, and while it remains one of the options, other options are now being developed.
The agency plans to outline a programme of measures by early 2022. Following this it will carry out more detailed investigation to establish a set of preferred options.
These could include:
Engineered solutions such as the construction of flood walls and embankments
Natural flood risk management measures that slow the flow of water upstream such as tree planting or the creation of leaky dams
Alternative farming and land management practice
Operating reservoirs in a different way
Other storage options across the catchment
Adam Lines, the agency's area environment manager, said: “Climate change is happening now and we’re starting to see the real impacts. We need to think differently about how we’re going to protect homes, businesses and infrastructure for the coming decades.
"We have a real opportunity here to make the Severn Valley more resilient for the future and we want to hear from everyone. We’ve started discussions with partners and are planning a series of community engagement events. We are asking local authorities, landowners and communities to work alongside us and help to develop the best possible solutions."
Shropshire suffered severe floods for the second time in less than a year in January, with Ironbridge, Bridgnorth and Shrewsbury taking the brunt of the floodwater, along with numerous rural riverside communities.
For more information, visit consult.environment-agency.gov.uk/west-midlands/svwms
