FLOOD reduction schemes are being planned for vulnerable areas across Rugby borough.
Rugby Borough Council (RBC) has agreed a range of projects to protect homes and communities in areas that have seen repeated flooding, including Wolston, Grandborough, Withybrook, Stretton-on-Dunsmore and Brandon.
A major part of the programme will focus on natural flood management in the Wolston area – which could include planting trees, improving soil, and creating features that hold water back during heavy rain.
Other projects will focus on practical improvements in known hotspots – including surveys to better understand flood risks in Grandborough, design work to support a future flood scheme in Withybrook, repairs to a damaged culvert in Stretton-on-Dunsmore, and detailed modelling to support a flood scheme in Brandon.
An RBC spokesperson said: “Recent storms and wetter winters have increased the risk of flooding across the borough, and action is needed to help communities prepare for the future.”
The new programme – funded from RBC’s climate reserve and delivered in partnership with Warwickshire County Council and Warwickshire Wildlife Trust – supports RBC’s wider plans to tackle climate change and protect residents from its impacts.
The council says some schemes will deliver short-term improvements, with others forming part of longer-term plans to manage flood risk across the borough.
Coun Alison Livesey, Chair of Rugby Borough Council’s Climate Emergency Working Group, said: “Flooding has a real impact on people’s lives, from damage to homes to the stress and worry it causes. That is why it is so important we take action.
“These projects will help us better understand flood risk and put measures in place to reduce it. Just as importantly, they will help us cope as our climate continues to change.”
Coun Sam Edwards, Deputy Chair of the Climate Emergency Working Group, said: “This is about protecting our communities and making them more resilient. By working with expert partners, we can deliver practical solutions in the areas that need them most.
“I am particularly pleased to see the focus on natural solutions, which not only reduce flood risk but also support our environment and local wildlife.”
Work on the projects is expected to begin later this year.
