Media Information Pack

THE BUSINESS

Who is Haycock?

Haycock is a specialist environmental consultancy delivering ‘natural solutions’ that create, restore, and protect water habitats and landscapes. Their work helps individuals and large organisations manage flood risk and maintain landscapes.

What do they do?

Haycock draw together hydrology, geomorphology, water quality, engineering and soils expertise with state-of-the-art modeling, GIS and computer aided design. We are unrivalled in our work on areas that have special conservation, historic or landscape value.

Who do they work with?

Haycock has long established partnerships with many of the most respected environmental organisations in Europe for example: DEFRA and the European Environmental Bureau. Their clients include key conservation charities, landowners, Government agencies and local authorities such as the RSPB, The City of London, Environment Agency and Natural England.

Examples of the projects they work on?

Mottisfont Abbey and the River Test: Conservation Management Plan on the UK’s most famous chalk stream.

Haycock conducted a detailed environmental and hydrological assessment of the River Test and River Dunn at Mottisfont Abbey to develop a sustainable management plan for this National Trust estate. Our management plan promotes the renaturalisation of the River Test floodplain and one of the last valley fen systems in the UK. It also proposes the maintenance of optimal trout spawning conditions, a continued source of revenue for the National Trust, and is helping the Trust be part of the fight against climate change through the capture and storage of carbon in newly accreting peat soils.

Sinderland Brook: River restoration to accompany a new housing development.

The increase in flooding over the years and resultant economic losses has raised a high public interest in flood management in the UK with particular attention given to the risks associated with the development of floodplains. In a groundbreaking project at Sinderland Brook, Haycock Associates have demonstrated that through river restoration and the enhancement of natural floodplains it is possible to make room for water whilst allowing sensitive development to go ahead. This hails an exciting new era for floodplain development that will have significant repercussions across the UK in the years ahead.

Coughton Court: Incorporating historical landscaping features to provide present day flood defense.

Preservation of the garden landscapes that surround our stately homes in the UK and the need to protect them and their occupants from flood risk often pose heated and conflicting debate. Haycock has now bridged that gap. At Coughton Court Haycock have integrated their knowledge of historical landscapes with advanced 1D and 2D hydraulic modeling plan and have designed a flood defense based on what Capability Brown described as an essential component of “swept views”, a Ha-Ha fence. A common site in many stately garden landscapes, at Coughton Court it will prevent regular inundation of the property from floodwaters.

City of London: Remote real-time monitoring of water quality in the Hampstead bathing ponds.

In 2004 the City of London lost their case in the High Court to close the Hampstead Pond’s to swimmers on public health and sustainability grounds. Since then Haycock have provided a technological solution to the City of London’s worries about public health risks. Haycock have used their expert knowledge and technological capabilities to design and install a remote monitoring system that uploads real-time water quality data from monitoring buoys in the bathing and Highgate ponds directly to a City of London monitoring station. Water quality thresholds in the system allows for early warning messages to be sent to City of London staff through the mobile phone network to allow for dynamic monitoring and management of the ponds based on real-time information.

Who are they working with on Academic and Research projects?

Durham University - Small Catchments and Climate Change (SCALAR): Adapting, Learning and Responses.

Continued involvement with the University of Durham and a consortium of UK and European higher education institutions to improve understanding on potential climate change impacts on water quantity, quality and biodiversity in different European eco-regions.

University of Birmingham

Recent involvement in the learning and development of MSc students on commercially applicable projects. Recent projects that students have worked on include an innovative hydraulic modeling exercise that has identified the flood risk mitigation potential of different riparian land management strategies at Boscastle.

University of Manchester

Nick Haycock continues his position as a research fellow and is involved in the development of current students through a series of lectures designed to improve their commercial awareness for their future careers.

THE PEOPLE BEHIND HAYCOCK

How many staff do they employ and what do they do?

There are currently 10 members of staff in the team at Haycock. This includes the company founder, Dr. Nick Haycock, as well as a team of experienced staff who individually specialise in aspects of environmental management, hydrology and hydraulic modelling.

What are their ideals?

Haycock is passionate about creating, restoring and protecting ‘natural landscape’ through practical and innovative solutions. Their aim is to be the first choice to help clients successfully deliver farreaching projects that are key to a sustainable world.

FUTURE DEVELOPMENT

Haycock is currently focussing strongly upon the issue of flood risk management, offering newly defined support services to local businesses and communities who have been victims of flooding. For further press information, please contact: Emma Walton, Silver Worldwide, 702 Eagle Tower, Montpellier Drive, Cheltenham GL50 1TA Tel: 01242 585930 Mobile: 07515 357842 Email: emma.walton@silver-worldwide.com