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Leader of South Gloucestershire Council: Why flood defences are so vital for our local communities

Leader of South Gloucestershire Council: Why flood defences are so vital for our local communities

18 October 2021. Councillor Toby Savage, South Gloucestershire Council Leader and Cabinet Member with responsibility for Climate Change, looks at the impact of flooding on local communities and the vital flood defence work being carried out to protect them.

According to the Association of British Insurers, flooding is the greatest natural disaster risk in the UK, with an estimated one in six properties in England and Wales now at risk of flooding. On top of that, Met Office data shows six of the ten wettest years on record have occurred since 1998.

Flooding can cause widespread disruption and have a devastating impact on people’s lives, their homes and businesses. There are few places more suited to considering the impact of climate change on real communities and businesses because of rising sea levels than the Severn Estuary.

The work being carried out as part of the Avonmouth and Severnside Enterprise Area (ASEA) Ecological Mitigation and Flood Defence project means thousands of homes and businesses in the area will be better protected. The project will provide 17km of improved flood defences, reducing flood risk to around 2,500 homes and businesses. The defences will supplement existing flood barriers and help protect the area from the increased risk of flooding from climate change and rising sea levels.

A recent report, by The Association of British Insurers and Flood Re (Flood Re are a joint initiative between the Government and insurers), reported that river flood defences provide protection to flood risk communities valued at savings of £568 million a year. The research suggests that without defences, losses could amount to approximately £958 million a year, whereas with defences that figure reduces to £388 million a year.

The newly constructed flood defences, stretching between Aust in South Gloucestershire and Lamplighter’s Marsh in Bristol, will help encourage businesses to invest in the area and are expected to unlock 12,000 new jobs by 2026. This will deliver a significant boost for our regional and national economy.

A key milestone achieved this summer was the installation of precast concrete flood defence wall units in the Severn Beach area. To the north of Severn Beach, this is largely complete. Together with the work south of Severn Beach, approximately a kilometre of flood defence wall has been put in place. The walls consist of 428 units, all of which were precast offsite, meaning they were put in quickly and with the minimum of disruption to the local community.

Once the whole ASEA project is completed in 2026/2027, thousands of homes and businesses in our area will be better protected against the risk of flooding. I look forward to seeing the project continue to progress over the next few years, reducing the flood risk posed by climate change and rising sea levels.

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Chair of West of England LEP: Why flood defence project is so important for economy

Chair of West of England LEP: Why flood defence project is so important for economy

As the economy opens up again, Richard Bonner, Chair of the West of England Local Enterprise Partnership, discusses the long-term plans to protect the Avonmouth Severnside Enterprise Area from flooding and why this work is so important to the regional economy’

The £80 million Avonmouth Severnside Enterprise Area (ASEA) Ecology Mitigation and Flood Defence Project is the biggest flood defence project and ecology project in the West of England’s history.

Work is now well underway on a package of flood defence measures along 17km of coastline – from Lamplighters Marsh in the south to Aust in the north – to reduce flood risk to 2,500 homes and businesses. This work will help to unlock up to 12,000 new jobs in the West of England by 2026 -2027.

This project creates great impetus for economic development in our region. It’s a huge boost – without it the Enterprise Area cannot come forward.

I recently had the opportunity to visit the works with other partners and seeing the brilliant progress being made is impressive. We’re really pleased to see so much being delivered.

With funding of £63m from the West of England Local Enterprise Partnership, administered by the West of England Combined Authority, we’re supporting the partnership work of South Gloucestershire Council, Bristol City Council and the Environment Agency. Other funding sources are the Government’s Flood Defence Grant in Aid, and Local Levy raised by the Wessex Regional Flood and Coastal Committee.

These new flood defences will supplement existing flood barriers and help protect the area from the increased risk of flooding caused by climate change and rising sea levels. The defences will ensure the reduction of flood risk for at least 60 years – something which our region’s business and political leaders are confident will lead to even more significant investment in the Enterprise Area. The West of England’s recovery plan has a focus on a green recovery with sustainable opportunities for all. We’re working hard to provide businesses with the confidence that their plans for new jobs and investment will not be dampened by flooding concerns.

Situated near the M5 and M49 motorways, the Enterprise Area is a prime location for business – it’s perfectly-placed as an economic gateway between England and Wales, as well as between the Midlands and the South West.

From an ecological perspective, the project will improve flood defences and enhance the natural environment on the internationally important Severn Estuary– creating at least 80 hectares of coastal wetland habitats for bird species. It will also improve walking routes, making it easier for everyone to enjoy nature and the spectacular views of the Severn Estuary. This will be a huge boost for people’s physical and mental health.

We’ve already seen a great advance towards making the Enterprise Area a reality. I look forward to witnessing the forthcoming developments, with even more flood defence work and innovative technology in the pipeline. This will help us deliver the reassurances to businesses that the West of England is the premier location for their investment.

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Major Flood Defence Project Progress Impresses West of England Leaders

Major Flood Defence Project Progress Impresses West of England Leaders

Leaders from across the West of England this week saw first-hand the significant progress being made on the Avonmouth and Severnside Enterprise Area (ASEA) Ecological Mitigation and Flood Defence project, including extensive new flood defence walls at Severn Beach.

Leader of South Gloucestershire Council and Cabinet Member with responsibility for Climate Change, Councillor Toby Savage; Councillor Nicola Beech, Cabinet Member for Climate, Ecology, Waste and Energy at Bristol City Council; Emma Baker, Area Director Wessex, Environment Agency; and Richard Bonner, Chair of the West of England Local Enterprise Partnership, visited the project at several sites.

The tour included a site to the south of Severn Beach. Approximately a kilometre of concrete flood defence wall has been placed here and to the north of Severn Beach. The walls consist of 428 units, all of which were precast offsite, meaning they were put in quickly and with the minimum of disruption.

The largest of its kind in the region, the project will provide 17km of improved flood defences when complete in 2026/2027, from Lamplighters Marsh in the south to Aust in the north, reducing flood risk to around 2,500 homes and businesses. The defences will supplement existing flood barriers and help protect the area from the increased risk of flooding from climate change and rising sea levels.

The project will also create a minimum of 80ha, the equivalent of 112 football pitches, of new wetland habitats to protect internationally important bird species, and improve walking routes.
The £80m project will boost the regional and national economy by enabling development within the Avonmouth and Severnside Enterprise Area, helping unlock 12,000 new jobs by 2026. The project is a partnership between South Gloucestershire Council, Bristol City Council and the Environment Agency.

Cllr Toby Savage said: “We’ve come together with Bristol City Council and the Environment Agency on this project to protect people’s homes and businesses from flooding. The project will also boost and restore natural environments and help people enjoy spectacular views of the Severn Estuary.”

Cllr Nicola Beech said: “It is fantastic to see the scale of the project. These defences will protect thousands of homes and make our city more resilient to climate change. Importantly, it will also provide a huge boost to nature and wildlife by creating 80ha of new wetland habitats to protect internationally important bird species in the Severn Estuary and planting hundreds of native trees that will improve the environment for many years to come.“

So far, other achievements for the project, which started work on site last summer, include:
• Flood defence wall works at Passage Road, Aust: trial embankment complete
• New wetland habitat at Northwick – nearly three-quarters of the work complete
• Progress on improvements at Cake Pill and Chestle Pill to raise the outfall structures.

Emma Baker said: “Climate change is already happening, bringing greater flood risk to large parts of Avonmouth and Severnside. This project will protect not only present but future generations and it’s really exciting to see such progress. The Severn Estuary is internationally important for its habitats for birds and over 80 hectares of wetlands will provide safe roosts for the over wintering birds during high tides on the estuary.”

Funding has come from the West of England Local Enterprise Partnership, administered by the West of England Combined Authority. Other funding sources are the Government’s Flood Defence Grant in Aid, and Local Levy raised by the Wessex Regional Flood and Coastal Committee.

Richard Bonner said: “This project creates great impetus for economic development in the region. It’s a huge boost – without it the enterprise area cannot come forward. Having the opportunity to visit the works with other partners and see the brilliant progress made is impressive. We’re really pleased to see so much being delivered.”

ENDS
ACCOMPANYING IMAGE: CAPTION (From left to right): Richard Bonner, Chair of the West of England LEP; Emma Baker, Area Director Wessex, Environment Agency; Councillor Nicola Beech, Cabinet Member for Climate, Ecology, Waste and Energy at Bristol City Council; and Councillor Toby Savage, Leader of South Gloucestershire Council, visit the Avonmouth and Severnside Enterprise Area (ASEA) Ecological Mitigation and Flood Defence project site south of Severn Beach.
Media enquiries: Contact the communications team at South Gloucestershire Council on: Telephone: 01454 863200. Email: strategiccommunications@southglos.gov.uk
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