Village community receive individual household grants for flood protection

Across Britain there are thousands of small rural communities that have suffered and will continue to suffer from flooding. These communities are often not protected by the designation of being sited upon an Environment Agency managed Main River. As a result there is no statutory responsibility for the Agency to provide flood protection from the watercourses. Additionally, in rural settings sources of flooding can be extremely complex, particularly due to agricultural drainage systems. Personal protection from flooding in these situations often has to be considered with a greater degree of imagination, as well as hope for a source of funding.

The parish of Beckford and Grafton, in south Worcestershire, like so many communities has suffered from repeated flooding throughout the years. Over 50 properties received significant internal damage as a result of the flooding in the summer of 2007; many of the properties were affected in previous incidences, particularly in April 1998. This blight  on the picturesque village is caused by the meeting of several small brooks and springs entering from the slopes of the northern Cotswolds, including Bredon Hill. Additionally, many of the properties that have been affected by flooding in the past are the victims of surface water flooding (pluvial) and groundwater upwelling. This is a particular issue in this location due to gravel seams lying under region, deposited by the historic path of the River Avon (now utilised by the Carrant Brook).

As a response to recent incidences of flooding throughout Britain the government department of Defra have offered £5 million of funding over 2 years to local authorities across the nation to help stricken communities. The objective of this scheme is to promote the use of household-level flood protection and resilience measures in cases where flooding occurs frequently and other flood management solutions are not economically, environmentally or technically viable (Defra, 2009).

Haycock have been contracted by Wychavon District Council (WDC) to aid them in the process of securing funding from Defra for household flood protection for the village of Beckford and Grafton. Through discussions with the local authority and the village community, led by the flood group, support has been shown for this scheme. Dozens of home owners expressed an interest in receiving funding, via the local authority, to instal resilience and protection measures on their property.

In order for these householders to receive any funding Haycock have been consulted to carry out a series of tasks through several stages of the scheme. Phase one was to assist the local authority in their application to Defra, by identifying the number and location of properties in the village that would be eligible for grants. An overview of past flooding events was also provided. The result is that this June Defra and the Environment Agency have announced that Beckford has been successful in its application. This means that the next stages of the scheme can begin to take place.

The second stage of the scheme is to identify the exact properties which receive the grants, limited to approximately 20 at this stage due to the level of funding. Those properties will be surveyed by the consultants at Haycock, identifying the sources of flooding, and relating that to a level of risk according to the property’s location and thresholds. A report of the findings will be provided, containing recommendations for flood protection, or flood mitigation measures. It will then be up to the individual to submit their report and request for funding to Wychavon.

Haycock are honoured to be working with the Beckford community, situated so closely to our own offices. We are more than aware of the hardships caused by flooding, particularly when it can be so frequent. In a village like Beckford, where funding and solutions can be hard to come by, help is always welcome, and we are more than willing to provide it.