Nearly £300k secured to reduce risk of flooding around the River Deben
More than 70 properties were severely damaged following heavy rain from Storm Babet in October 2023.
Organisations working together to restore the land, water and nature throughout the River Deben have secured close to £300,000 in funding to help reduce the risk of flooding.
More than 70 properties including homes and commercial units in Debenham, Suffolk, were severely impacted following heavy rainfall caused by Storm Babet in October 2023.
Now, the East Suffolk Catchment Partnership have secured £280,000 of funding from the Environment Agency’s Water Environment Improvement Fund through the Recovering The Deben: From Source to Sea initiative, to create two new natural flood storage areas, which will help lower the risk of flooding downstream in the Deben catchment, including in Debenham.
Additionally, the new ponds will help improve the water quality within the upper River Deben, by trapping sediment and nutrients, and provide seasonal habitats for overwintering birds and great crested newts, which are known to be prevalent within the area.
The partnership includes representatives from conservation, councils, farming and other industries who have joined forces with landowners to make a real difference to the health of the river.
Tom Hunter, Area Manager, at Water Management Alliance said: “This is a great opportunity to work collaboratively with landowners and partners to help reduce the impacts of flooding from the River Deben.
“Given the history of flooding in Debenham, this project is an active step towards helping communities in Suffolk becoming more resilient in the future.”
Cllr Paul West, Cabinet Member for Operational Highways and Flooding at Suffolk County Council added: “Reducing flood risk in Debenham is critically important but cannot be achieved by one organisation alone and I am pleased the council has been able to support this positive action."
“This project is a great example of the collaboration required between organisations and landowners; I hope to see many more projects like this delivered to benefit communities across Suffolk.”
Helen George, Natural Flood Management Co-ordinator, for the Environment Agency in East Anglia said: “We’re pleased to be working in partnership to bring this natural flood management project to life, a key recommendation from the recent flood investigation in Debenham."
“Helping communities in becoming more resilient to our changing climate is something the Environment Agency is proud to deliver.”
Helen Dangerfield, Director at Essex and Suffolk Rivers Trust added: “It is great to see the real action happening as part of the Recovering the Deben: From Source to Sea project."
“There is no time to waste in finding solutions to help the river, nature and adapt to climate change. This is the first of many actions needed to help restore the natural functioning of the river.”
The first flood storage and wetland area will be created at Winston Green with a capacity for up to 14,500 m3 of floodwater, while an additional wetland pond at Roamwood Farm will provide storage of between 6,000m3 and 8,000m3.
The project at Winston Green will be delivered this Spring with the second following on later in the year.