February 28th 2024
Environment Agency examines how to reduce flood risks in Birmingham
The Environment Agency have created a new scheme that aims to minimise flooding from the River Bourn by building flood storage areas to hold excess water.
The government-owned organisation have begun exploring options to help reduce flood risks in Birmingham. The latest idea has come in the form of the Bourn Flood Risk Management scheme, which includes plans to create flood storage areas around the River Bourn to hold excess water during times of high rainfall.
Currently, the Environment Agency modelling shows that 200 residential properties and 100 businesses face the adverse impacts of flooding in the Bournville and Stirchley area.
The Bourn is prone to rapid flooding during intense storms as was seen in 2018 when 58mm fell in less than an hour over the Birmingham Conurbation resulting in significant river and surface water flooding. Flooding has also impacted communities in the area in 2008, 2012 and 2016.
Against this backdrop, sites that are being considered for the new storage flood project are Manor Farm Park, Weoley Hill Park, and Valley Parkway in the Bournville area. When the flood risk isn’t very high, these parks will operate as normal.
Environment Manager for the Birmingham area Suzanne Ward said: ‘We know the devastating impact that flooding can have, which is why protecting people and communities is our top priority.
‘With anticipated climate change impacts and an increasing urban population, we are likely to see an increase in both the likelihood and impact of flood events in the future.
‘It’s important to emphasise that no decisions have been made yet and we are still working on a concept design. We are committed to working with the community to seek their views and discuss any concerns they may have.’
The Environment Agency is committed to working with the community and hosted an open drop-in session at Weoley Village Hall in January. To add to this, further sessions and information events are set to take place in future.
Image: Jonathan Ford
Flood risk: the Environment Agency issues guidance to help protect properties