£6m for Frome flood projects

A SERIES of projects to help protect homes and businesses near the River Frome from flooding has won £6 million in government funding.

South Gloucestershire Council has been working with neighbouring Bristol City Council, Wessex Water and the Environment Agency on the programme, which has been named Resilient Frome.

Six different types of projects will be carried out over the next five years to help better protect areas at risk from flooding and ensure new building projects do not add to problems.

The Frome rises at Dodington, near Chipping Sodbury, and passes through Frampton Cotterell, past Winterbourne Down and Hambrook on its way to Bristol's Floating Harbour.

In rural upstream areas, including the Ladden Brook, which flows into the Frome between Iron Acton and Frampton, part of the funding will be used to support "sustainable land management practices", including creating new ‘storage’ ponds and woody dams.

South Gloucestershire Council is using

Picture: the government funding to work with landowners, farmers and communities over the next five years to "deliver sustainable solutions to land and water management, improve flood resilience, respond to climate change and bring a range of benefits".

A spokesperson said: “Around £600,000 will be invested in the delivery of natural flood management (NFM). This is a way of working with natural processes to help manage the risk of flooding, whilst also improving water quality and habitat.

"We will be focusing delivery of NFM interventions within the headwaters of the Ladden, Bradley Brook and the headwaters of the main River Frome, because benefits downstream are maximised when we work in the river’s headwater and tributaries.

“We are currently beginning to engage and discuss possible NFM interventions with landowners and community groups.”

Other projects will focus on areas including monitoring river flow, improving urban planning and sustainable drainage systems to better manage storm water drainage.

Council cabinet member for the environment, Steve Reade, said: "Climate change is happening now, and the Resilient Frome project will help in our response to protect and future proof the whole River Frome area.

"The river’s catchment is largely rural, but all the water flows downstream and meets in the centre of Bristol. Therefore, a whole system approach and working across local authority boundaries is needed and we’re pleased to be collaborating with partners Bristol City Council, the Environment Agency and Wessex Water on this.”

The issue of untreated sewage entering the River Frome through storm overflow drains during heavy rainfall recently sparked a political row in South Gloucestershire Council over whether to toughen rules on new surface water drain connections.