Immingham residents’ consultation meeting for flood programme on Woodlands Avenue/Washdyke Lane

For this reason, North East Lincolnshire Council and its delivery partner, Equans, would like to invite you to a residents’ consultation. The event has been arranged for Thursday 20 February from 5pm until 7pm at the Immingham Civic Centre, in Burton Hall.

Defra have provided £200-million of funding nationally for the Flood and Coastal Resilience Innovation Programme, which is managed by the Environment Agency.

The programme will drive innovation surrounding flood and coastal resilience, taking into consideration adaptations to allow for changes in climate. North East Lincolnshire Council was one of the twenty-five successful bidders for the funding, which is currently being used to install sustainable drainage measures in areas with a history of flooding.

Some of these have already been installed in Grimsby, including planter boxes at four local schools. The boxes, known as Roof Irrigation Planters, allow rainwater from the roof to flow directly into planter beds, increasing flood resilience by absorbing water and slowing the flow.

The proposed works on Woodlands Avenue and Washdyke Lane consist of the replacement of the majority of the grass verges with features called ‘rain gardens’. During rainfall, the adjacent road and footpaths will drain the surface water into these features, where the water is temporarily stored prior to controlled release into the sewerage system. Some of these have already been installed along Broadway, Grimsby.

Slowing down the surface water flow rates will reduce flood risks. At the surface, these rain gardens are planted with suitable flowers and shrubs which will enhance the street scene. Draining surface water into rain gardens also removes pollutants such as oil, which may be on the roads, in turn helping to improve the quality of the water entering the land drainage systems.

The consultation will enable residents to find out more information, ask questions and raise any concerns. There will also be the opportunity to influence the plantings used in the nearest rain gardens to each resident.

North East Lincolnshire Council’s Portfolio Holder for Environment and Net Zero, Cllr Henry Hudson, said: “It is these innovative and new schemes that in the long-term will make a big difference to the way in which we protect our communities from the changing environment, and how we cope with that.”

Should you be unable to attend, please feel free to contact 01472 323572 and ask for Isaac Whitehouse or email ENV-Drainage@nelincs.gov.uk to raise any queries or concerns.