A partnership between Lewes District Council and Ouse and Adur Rivers Trust is set to paying great environmental and community dividends in Ringmer as a project to address local flood risk continues to take shape.
Residents living in homes in Bishops Close and Green Close in Ringmer have often seen localised flooding when the surface water from heavy rainfall overwhelms underground drains.
In response to the increasingly frequent problem, a series of three ponds have been dug in land between the village cricket pitch and Green Close, with the capacity to hold approximately 560,000 litres of water.
Peter King, Director of the Ouse & Adur Rivers Trust, said:
“There are so many benefits of working in harmony with our environment rather than against it and natural flood management epitomises that philosophy.
“Not only will the ponds we’ve introduced help to reduce flood risk to 15 homes, we are also creating new habitats for wildlife by nurturing wetland areas, planting 150 metres of hedgerow and 500 hundred pollinator friendly plants.”
Working closely with the Ouse and Adur Rivers Trust and Sussex Flow Initiative and in partnership with the Woodland Trust, Environment Agency and many other local groups, Lewes District Council has championed the use of natural flood management techniques across the district.
Councillor Matthew Bird, Cabinet Member for Sustainability, said:
“The work being done in Ringmer is a fantastic showcase for what can be achieved by employing nature based solutions that help protect local homes, but also increase biodiversity and tackle the climate crisis we are facing.
“We have funded similar natural flood management schemes in many different parts of the district where flooding is a cause of concern for our residents.”
