Proposals informed by sustainable surface water management policies including pollution control and enhancing water quality
Residential street in Churchtown, Southport in 2020(Image: Marianne Blackham-Perry)
Sefton Council has approved plans to address high risk flooding in one part of Merseyside. The proposed scheme would see the installation of a new drainage system designed to manage surface water runoff in urban areas.
Sefton’s full council met tonight January 16 at Bootle to Town Hall to review a series of recommendations including a pre-procurement report on the tender process for the Making Space for Water Crossens Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (MSFWCSuDS) scheme in Southport. Elected members approved the report including a capital estimate of £1.75m to be granted by the Environment Agency.
The MSFWCSuDS aims to support communities who live in high risk flooding areas by creating effective water flow spaces during periods of heavy rain and replacing underground pipes to increase water capacity. The council said the additional water flow measures will lower the flood risk and support biodiversity.
Sefton’s dedicated Flood and Coastal Erosion team worked to create the plans which will introduce a number of spaces where rising water can run-off away from homes and businesses. The first location which the ‘Make Space For Water’ campaign will focus on is the Crossens and Churchtown areas of Southport, specifically those areas close to The Pool watercourse and where water eventually discharges into the Three Pools Waterway.
As well as protecting communities from flooding, the council said new ecological spaces will provide areas for wildlife and rare species to flourish, as well as enjoyable spaces for people to relax in and enjoy.
To finance the works, the local authority are seeking Grant in Aid funding from the Environment Agency for £1.6m. Additional funding of £150k has been earmarked from the council’s highway capital improvement programme to support upgrades to the drainage of the adjoining highway which has contributed to previous flooding incidents.
Commenting after the approval of the council report, Liberal Democrat representative for Meols ward, Cllr Gareth Lloyd-Johnson said: “This has been a complex issue with lots of technical information, but has received near universal support from local residents.”