The residents of Pastures Way in Luton have suffered from repeated surface water flooding affecting homes, roads and the local park. Luton Borough Council commissioned Project Centre to design a multi-functional scheme. In response, we presented pastures way flood alleviation scheme to reduce the risk of flooding to local homes and road infrastructure whilst integrating the management of water into the landscape.
Initially conceived as a highway flood mitigation scheme, Project Centre’s Flood & Water Management team worked with Luton Borough Council to develop Green Infrastructure solutions which would deliver multiple benefits, creating an enhanced green space for the public to enjoy, as well as new wetland habitats and planting for wildlife.
Enhancing the environment for people and wildlife
The flood alleviation scheme was completed in June 2019. We utilised a Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) approach to slow down and treat surface water during storms. The scheme has the capacity to accommodate 2,200 m3 of water and incorporated the following SuDS features:
- Rain garden
- Swale
- Flood storage wetland
- Overflow weir to Lewsey Brook.
Previously, the road would become flooded after storms. Storm water was a hazard to traffic and put residential homes at risk. Now, when water levels rise above the kerb, runoff is diverted into the rain garden. It is conveyed to the park via the swale. This slows the flow of water and removes pollutants before it reaches the flood storage wetland. During more extreme rainfall events, once the wetland reaches capacity, water spills out gradually to the nearby Lewsey Brook.
By creating an enhanced blue-green space in a socioeconomically deprived neighbourhood, the scheme is also helping to promote wellbeing and biodiversity, including:
- Enhanced amenity and the opportunity to connect with nature, including the Lewsey Brook river corridor
- An educational resource for schools and the public
- Enhancing biodiversity through planting local wildflower species and creating new wetland habitats for plants and animals
- Cleaning polluted runoff before it reaches the Lewsey Brook
- Improved flood resilience – should more flood storage capacity be required the structures can be widened, providing climate change resilience.
Project Centre also supported Luton Borough Council to secure funding from the Environment Agency. This was for the design and construction of pastures way flood alleviation scheme.
