Environment Agency builds £5m scheme in Berkshire. More than 25 properties better protected from high flows in the Great Shefford Stream
The Environment Agency has celebrated the successful completion of the new Great Shefford flood alleviation scheme. The £5.2 million project was finished in June this year, better protecting 26 local properties against flooding from the nearby Great Shefford Stream.
The scheme works by diverting water around the village along a specially constructed 1km diversion channel. It has a 'passive' design, so it doesn't need to be manually operated. This new waterway is a mix of underground pipeline, rectangular culverts and an open channel section with a backwater at is confluence with the Lambourn. This channel provides significant environmental enhancement, ensuring the project achieves biodiversity net gain.
Anna Burns, Thames area director for the Environment Agency, said:
We are delighted that the Great Shefford flood scheme was completed in the summer. The village has been badly affected in the past by property flooding, and we hope the scheme allows residents better peace of mind should we be facing heavy rains in the months ahead.
Support from partners was critical to the successful delivery of the scheme. The Great Shefford flood alleviation association raised £80,000, which was instrumental in securing wider funding. The local community provided ongoing support throughout construction and West Berkshire Council worked collaboratively through the planning process to ensure the Environment Agency could complete the project.
Nick Voysey, Great Shefford resident and secretariat of the Lambourn Valley Flood Forum said:
The completion of this scheme will not only be of huge benefit to those residents of Great Shefford who have suffered in the past from repeated flooding of their properties, with all the trauma and distress that involves, but it will also be of very significant benefit to the wider community.
The project, completed by the Environment Agency, will hopefully prove to be of great value to the Lambourn Valley for many years, as we all have to learn to deal with the effects of climate change affecting our lives
Everyone should know their flood-risk and get for free flood warnings by going to https://www.gov.uk/check-flood-risk or calling Floodline on 0345 988 1188. The
