Romsey Flood Alleviation Scheme, which will better protect 127 properties, was officially unveiled today (Friday 8 July) by Caroline Nokes MP for Romsey and Southampton North.

The scheme that became operational in autumn 2021, reduces flooding from the River Test and surface water. Costing approximately £9.5 million to build, of which the Environment Agency contributed approximately £6.4 million through government grant in aid.

Romsey has a history of flooding in the 1960s, 1995, 2000 and 2001. In the winter of 2013/2014, water overtopped Fishlake Stream and the Barge Canal, badly flooding 36 homes and 44 commercial properties with devastating consequences for families and businesses.

Simon Moody, Area Director, Environment Agency, said:

The climate emergency is bringing greater risks. We’re seeing more extreme weather, with an increase in flooding. Our response must be to protect our communities as best we can, make them more resilient, and to tackle both the causes and consequences of climate change.  We can make a difference if we all work together, like we have done on this scheme.

The flood alleviation scheme includes a tilting weir structure used to control the flows of Fishlake Stream and earth embankments to contain the excess water within a flood plain. At the Causeway, more earth embankments have been built to manage flood water as well as a new bridge and a spillway to enable the flood plain to drain into the River Test.

The risk of surface water flooding has been reduced by improvements to the existing drainage system including ditches, pipes and road drainage at Mainstone junction and Middlebridge Street.

As well as reducing flooding, there are additional ecological benefits from the scheme. Some 150 metres of new water vole habitat have been created and 150 metres of river environment have been enhanced by managing vegetation and improving the structure that controls water flow in the Barge Canal. The London plane trees, some of the oldest in the country, were also carefully preserved during construction.

Members of the local community were consulted throughout the scheme’s development to ensure they were happy with the design. As a result, the new bridge on the Causeway is a Dutch, carbon-friendly design made of glass-reinforced plastic and is covered in timber to blend in with the picturesque surroundings.

The scheme, which took 3.5 years to build, has been developed through partnership working with Hampshire County Council and Test Valley Borough Council.

Councillor Edward Heron, Executive Lead Member for Transport and Environment Strategy at Hampshire County Council, said:

This is an important scheme and we have been delighted to play our part in helping protect residents in Romsey. We contributed £1.5 million towards the total cost and worked in partnership with the Environment Agency, the Borough Council and other local stakeholders on the planning, design and construction of the scheme.

While there will always be a risk of flooding, thanks to the work that has been completed, residents’ properties, businesses, roads and other infrastructure are now much better protected and more resilient.

In addition to building and maintaining flood defences the Environment Agency also runs a free flood warning service. You can sign up for free flood warnings in minutes on gov.uk at Check for flooding – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) or call Floodline free on 0345 988 1188.

The scheme was funded from flood and coastal erosion risk management grant in aid (£6.4 million), local levy from the Southern Regional Flood and Coastal Committee (£1.2 million), Hampshire County Council contribution (£1.5 million), Test Valley Borough Council contribution (£0.3 million) and EU funding (£0.1 million).

Photos of the flooding, the scheme and its opening are available on request.

In the 2020 Budget the Government doubled its investment in flood and coastal erosion risk management in England by committing a record £5.2bn in 2021-27. This long-term commitment will better protect hundreds of thousands of properties, including homes, businesses, schools and hospitals from the risk of flooding.

The relationship between humans and nature is under intense and increasing strain. The report released today by IPBES, the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (akin to the IPCC reports on climate change), provides compelling evidence that humans are overexploiting wild species and habitats. Harmful activities, including habitat destruction, poor farming practices and pollution, have altered ecosystems significantly, driving many species past the point of recovery. In Great Britain alone, of the 8,431 species assessed in the 2019 State of Nature report, 1,188 are threatened with extinction. Globally, there are an estimated 1 million at risk, with biodiversity declining at a faster rate than at any time in human history.

We cannot ignore biodiversity loss. Biodiversity is the variability that exists among all living organisms, between different species, within species including genetic makeup, and in wider ecosystems. Billions of people rely on wild species for food, clean water, energy, income and health and wellbeing. Annually, crops worth up to £480 billion are pollinated by a variety of wild animals, and an estimated 4 billion people depend on natural medicines for their healthcare. These vital ecosystem services are fundamentally based on a healthy environment, and this requires biodiversity. Losing biodiversity leaves species and ecosystems less resilient to challenges such as invasive species or pests, meaning there is an increased risk of whole populations being wiped out and destabilising the entire ecological network. Nature is a finite resource, and human self-interest alone should determine that biodiversity must be protected.

Alongside overexploitation, humans are driving biodiversity loss by destroying, polluting and fragmenting habitats across the globe. Many of the UK’s important peatlands, which provide a home for rare species such as the hen harrier, have been drained for agricultural use. The Amazon rainforest is being cleared to such an extent that it may be near a tipping point beyond which it cannot recover.

The climate crisis is exacerbating the issue. Many species simply cannot adapt to the scale and pace of changing temperatures. For example, warming seas and ocean acidification are devastating coral reefs around the world. This year, the Great Barrier Reef suffered its sixth mass bleaching event since 1998 with more than 90% of reefs affected. In many cases, when an ecosystem loses biodiversity, it becomes less able to store carbon, contributing to further climate change. We have a vicious cycle: climate change leads to biodiversity losses, which in turn leads to further climate change. As governments around the world develop plans to reduce carbon emissions and conserve biodiversity, the message is simple: we must solve both problems together.

What can be done? Just as science has diagnosed the problem, it can provide solutions. Using strong evidence, such as this IPBES report, governments can develop effective policy. Integrated and collaborative planning can deliver sustainable solutions which address climate change and biodiversity loss simultaneously, protecting and enriching human lives.

In southern India, scientists, Indigenous communities and local government have worked collaboratively to protect and restore mangrove forests. The trees’ interconnecting large-root systems offer protection against rising sea levels, provide habitats for fish and crustaceans, and clean surrounding water. The trees also draw and store carbon from the atmosphere and encourage carbon-rich sediment deposits. The increase in wildlife has benefited small scale fisheries and tourism. Innovative and effective nature-based initiatives such as these could be implemented throughout different landscapes across the planet.

There are also simple day-to-day things we can do to benefit our environment; for instance, reducing food waste. Currently about 30% of all food produced globally goes uneaten, meaning a significant proportion of the resources, and importantly the land used to grow, process, pack and transport it, is wasted and less able to support biodiversity.

Political will and leadership are needed, and the 15th UN Convention on Biological Diversity conference in December, CBD COP15, provides the next critical opportunity for governments to commit to real ambitious change.

CBD COP15 could deliver landmark action and be as important for biodiversity as the Paris Agreement is proving for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. It will set the direction for the next decade of international action and beyond. Governments should agree to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030, and develop evidence-based, actionable plans to do so. An important challenge is to define a reliable and simple integrated metric, like carbon emissions have been used for climate goals. At the end of June, negotiators met in Nairobi for their latest attempt to agree the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, and while progress was made, it did not go far enough.

The last decade’s targets were not met; the next decade’s must be. Credible delivery plans will be required, and we need a robust mechanism for monitoring progress and holding ourselves to account. CBD COP15 is the time to finalise the framework, and countries must come to the table prepared to make and support ambitious commitments. This is our chance to secure long-lasting agreements to protect our planet.

Derelict and underused brownfield sites across England will be transformed into thousands of new homes, creating thriving communities and levelling up the country – the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities announced today (8 July 2022).

From today, councils will be able to apply for a share of the new £180 million Brownfield Land Release Fund 2, which will help to transform disused urban areas into 17,600 new homes and create around 54,000 jobs over the next 4 years.

An initial £40 million is available to support local regeneration projects, releasing council land for around 4,000 new homes (and creating 12,400 jobs). The move will boost local economies and help thousands of young people and families into homeownership. The remaining £140 million of the Brownfield Land Release Fund 2 will be made available to councils over the next 2 years.

The scheme forms part of the government’s plan to level up communities across the country and turn unloved areas into new places for people to live and work

Minister for Government Efficiency Jacob Rees-Mogg said:

Opening up this land is a fantastic opportunity for regeneration, improving government efficiency and playing a vital role in tackling the housing shortage while increasing home ownership. I am pleased to see this work is being delivered, after many attempts over the decades.

This will provide a boost to the economy, foster the creation of thousands of jobs, and it is also the opportunity to convert derelict and unloved land into beautiful new hamlets or villages, which will give many young families their first step on the housing ladder.

The fund aims to support the transformation of small council-owned sites that have been previously developed, by funding small scale infrastructure and remediation work to enable the release of the land for new homes.

This builds on the success of the first Brownfield Land Release Fund which saw £77 million go to councils across the country to release brownfield sites for around 7,750 new homes, examples include:

• As part of this, the Lancashire One Public Estate partnership £670,000 to support the remediation of land at Griffin Housing Regeneration site in Blackburn. This enabled the phase 1 development of the site to progress and deliver 140 new homes for affordable rent or shared ownership.

• In Blackpool, £400,000 provided a new traffic system for a development at Ryscar Way. The improved road access opened up land for 51 new homes.

• In Rotherham, £300,000 unlocked the sites of 2 former adult care residential facilities to provide 44 new homes for first-time buyers and older people in the local area.

As with the previous scheme, the new fund will be delivered through the One Public Estate partnership between the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, the Office of Government Property and the Local Government Association.

Councils will be able to draw on their understanding of local needs in determining the type, tenure and delivery approach for the new homes. They have until 19 August 2022 to submit applications via the designated accountable body of their local OPE Partnership.

Bids will be assessed on a number of gateway criteria including: market failure; deliverability; and value for money.

The prioritisation of bids will comprise an assessment of the strategic case, innovation and consideration of the bid’s ability to meet the council’s Public Sector Equality Duty, combined with a place-based metric.

To support the development of new Local Plans, councils will receive additional points where they can demonstrate that they are supporting the plan making process.

The capital grant funding is available to all English councils. Mayoral Combined Authorities (MCAs) and the Greater London Authority (GLA) are eligible, as are their constituent councils.

Further information about applications to the second round of the Brownfield Land Release Fund is available on the Local Government Association website.