A VITAL project to help minimise the impact of flooding on people living in Wellesbourne has been completed.
Voluntary organisation Wellesbourne and Walton Flood Action Group (WWFAG) has been working with Moreton Morrell College, part of WCG, to help slow the flow of Newbold Brook, which runs through Wellesbourne.
WWFAG was formed in 2018 under the National Flood Forum and works in partnership with Warwickshire County Council Flood Risk Management (FRM), the Environment Agency, Severn Trent Water, Wellesbourne & Walton Parish Council, Warwickshire Wildlife Trust and Severn Rivers Trust.
The project is the first stage in a string of planned Natural Flood Management intervention works which will positively impact both Newbold Brook and the River Dene by ‘slowing the flow’.
The north of Wellesbourne has seen significant flood damage over the past 25 years – with major floods in 1998 and 2007.
WWFAG’s work comes after a hydrological survey of the catchment area was commissioned in 2019.
After receiving Warwickshire County Council FRM’s Planning Consent in September for the first of the works on Newbold Brook, on the site of Moreton Morrell College, the group set about its works with a focus initially on Bog Brook which feeds into Newbold Brook.
The group has created a channel at Bog Brook, so when the brook floods the rising waters are channelled into a bog field. Works have created three holding ponds in the field, which can be filled with excess water from the brook, holding back the water before spreading it to the field and slowly releasing it back into the brook.
Tubbs End Farms Ltd carried out the earthworks on the college land.
Moreton Morrell College is planting wildflowers along the new earth bund on the perimeter of the field and the new ponds are set to become a popular habitat for a range of wildlife, including invertebrates, and amphibians and wading birds.
Stephen Kirk, Chair of Wellesbourne and Walton Flood Action Group, said: “We are pleased to have completed the first stage of works to help minimise major flooding in Wellesbourne.
“We are a small group of seven but have received significant support from our partner organisations to get to this point. We would like to thank Moreton Morrell College for their support during the project and look forward to working with them on stage two in the coming months.
“Since living in the village, like many other people, I’ve been flooded twice at home. We knew that we had to do something to implement natural flood defences where we could.
“Similar flood action groups have had to make a large number of interventions to make a real difference and we have further plans to help slow the flow.
“We’re looking to do anything we can to minimise the impact of flooding and will be sharing further details on our future plans soon.”
Sharon Taylor, director of estates at WCG, said they had been happy to help.
“The newly created ponds and wetland will not only help to mitigate the impact of flooding, but has also created new thriving environments for wildlife on college land, and will bring significant environmental benefit.
