Residents raise concerns over new road flood prevention measures

Residents have raised concerns about flood prevention measures along their roads, which is part of a £76m pilot in the UK.

Thousands of nature-based drainage systems are being installed across Mansfield, in Nottinghamshire.

One community has launched a petition, arguing the so-called rain gardens have restricted access to their homes.

Severn Trent said the project was a "blueprint" for how flooding could be managed in the future.

The water company said the sustainable drainage system (SuDS) includes rain gardens - which slow the flow of water from surrounding hard surfaces - and permeable pavements - which divert surface water away from sewers, as well as slowing it down and managing the drain overspill.

The project started in Mansfield in spring 2022, with some of the measures installed in the town's marketplace last year.

Now smaller versions, which narrow the road, are being added to residential areas.

Bedford Avenue resident Martin Waters said he was worried about plans for outside his house, which would take away valuable parking space.

"Three interventions on a road that's not that long in length, it will impact immensely on car parking beyond belief," he said.

Mr Waters said their homes were on a hill and at low risk of flooding, adding: "We will never flood here."

Residents in the area have started a petition against the work, but said they had been ignored.

Julie Jones, from Melrose Avenue, said they were not informed of the work and that once made aware, Severn Trent did nothing.

"A petition signed by many people has been disregarded and they are ploughing ahead regardless," she said.

Adam Boucher, operational lead for the project, said the water company was "open to any comments and concerns from customers".

"We'll take them onboard and try to work with them to find a way forward," he said.

"We are not denying anyone access to their property. We are building the rain gardens in the public highway."

Seven Trent said the scheme in Mansfield, which is due to be completed in 2025, would store 58 million litres of surface water - equivalent to about 23 Olympic-sized swimming pools - and make the town "more flood resilient".

Mr Boucher said: "In Mansfield we are replacing the tarmac and hard standing areas with up to 15 hectares of green space and 2.5 hectares of permeable surface, which will retain surface water within the green spaces.

"It effectively slows water down into the sewer and doesn't cause flooding downstream."

The company said more than 20,000 SuDS would be installed across the town, which would reduce flood risk for 90,000 people.

Severn Trent aims to rollout the scheme across the region, which it said was the largest project of its kind ever to be attempted in the country.

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