In July this year, the Government announced a multi-billion pound investment programme to tackle long-term flooding.
The £5.2 billion plan is to create around 2,000 new flood and coastal defences to better protect 336,000 properties in England by 2027. The plans also include £200 million for innovative projects such as sustainable drainage systems and nature-based solutions like temporary and permanent water storage areas.
A recently completed water management project was located in Garstang, Lancashire where Floodsafe Projects built a flood defence scheme to stop seasonal flooding that had become a real issue for local residents.
Local residents and councillors had set up a Flood Action Group following flooding in the local area to look at the possible funding available to construct a flood defence bund that could be extended to defend the entire village.
With the involvement of the Environment Agency (EA) and local authorities, several options were explored, and due to the nature of the surrounding area, being of agricultural land, and the abundance of working space, the final design, which covered over 600 meters of flood defence, was agreed.
The design consisted of a combination of an earthen raised bund through the agricultural land, and a 1.5-metre high Redi-Rock modular block wall, complete with grates and a demountable barrier, where the line came close to a domestic property.
Contractors Floodsafe Projects completed the project, which is adjacent to the River Wyre, a major ‘A’ road and the properties of three landowners.
Now complete, the flood defence project is protecting three landowner’s properties and preventing the flow of floodwater from the River Wyre onto the road, where it had previously flooded into 58 properties, causing flood damage.
The 70-meter wide by 1.5-metre high wall was built using the latest walling development from Marshalls Civils and Drainage, with Floodsafe being one of the initial consumers in the UK to install it. The flood wall is based on the Redi-Rock concrete block walling system, with Floodsafe using a ledgestone finish that gives a random textured natural stone looking face.
Laid on a reinforced concrete strip foundation, the hollow blocks allow for a steel reinforcement and concrete infill to be used, allowing for quick installation. This protected the surrounding property from floodwater whilst still enhancing the look of the local area.
On completion of the wall, Floodsafe Projects commentated; “this is the first time we have used the Redi-Rock walling solution after seeing it at an exhibition. We have been impressed with its ease of installation and the help we have received from the team at Marshalls Civils and Drainage, from design to delivery. They have been with us at every step of the way, answering any questions from the EA or us. The installed wall went in quickly and looks great, the owners of the property are very happy.”