Ruth Edwards MP has worked with local councils to successfully secure Government funding for natural flood management solutions in Cropwell Butler.
An announcement today confirmed that measures around the village will be rolled out after the bid for money was approved by the Government.
Flooding has become more frequent in the village, with some homes on Back Lane and Main Street experiencing flooding several times last year during periods of heavy rainfall.
Since 2019, Ruth has worked with County Councillor Neil Clarke and Cropwell Butler Parish Council to find a solution to the flooding in the village. She made clear to the Government department responsible that a solution must be found, and that funding was a vital part of this. This builds on the long efforts of the parish council, its chairman Cllr Chris Davenport and other local campaigners.
During Storm Henk, Ruth brought Flooding Minister Robbie Moore to see the issues in the village and reiterated the case for the funding while he was there.
The works to be carried out in the village will be one of 40 projects to be funded by the £25 million Natural Flood Management Scheme to protect the local environment and mitigate flood risk.
There are up to 24 locations where Natural Flood Management measures could be installed upstream of Cropwell Butler, in partnership with local landowners. These will include river restoration and offline storage features such as ponds and wetlands.
These wetlands and ponds will also provide important habitat within the catchment and will help to settle sediments which in turn will improve water quality. River restoration will also provide more diverse in channel habitat for aquatic species and increase biodiversity.
Ruth said: “I am delighted and relieved that we have managed to secure funding from the Government to increase the natural flood defences around Cropwell Butler.
“The village has been hit hard by flooding in recent years and I know that some residents have had water flood their homes on several occasions.
“I have been working with others to find a solution to this for some years, including bringing the Minister for Water to see the problem during recent storms.
“I am optimistic that this Natural Flood Management project will be a big step in the right direction and help keep floodwater out of people’s homes.
“I want to thank everyone who has helped secure this funding, but especially the Chair of the Parish Council, Chris Davenport who has worked tirelessly for many years to tackle flooding in the village and Neil Clarke and his team at the County Council for the excellent bid they submitted. I also want to thank all the residents of Cropwell Butler for their patience as we have tried to identify the best solution.”
Water Minister, Robbie Moore said: “Having been to visit residents in Cropwell Butler during Storm Henk, I am fully aware of the need for more flood mitigation in the village. I am really pleased that this bid was successful and look forward to being able to deliver meaningful change to those who have experienced persistent flooding in recent years.”
Cllr Neil Clarke said “This is great news for Cropwell Butler. We have convinced the Govt to invest in protecting our community from the threat of flooding. This allows the County Council to finalise designs for a flood prevention scheme to help preventing Cropwell Butler from flooding.”
Parish Councillor Chris Davenport said “We have had multiple floods in the village from a variety of sources over the years. I am pleased that the Government has accepted this Natural Flood Management bid. This is great news and when the measures are fully implemented, I am hopeful that this will minimize the impact of flooding in the village in the future.”
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