St Ives and Brownshill Staunch Sluices Information Page

Overview

Date of last update – April 2025

Background

The wet winter experienced in 2023/24 and localised flooding experienced as a result, raised concerns about the condition of the St Ives and the Brownshill Staunch sluices and prompted questions from local residents and stakeholders to the Environment Agency. These questions have been about the potential impact of the condition of these structure on flood risk and also about repairs to the structures.

The future of these structures is challenging and we are actively working to identify a long-term approach for the two structures, considering their primary purpose. This document provides information on the structures, their condition, what has been done to date and what we are now doing to address the situation.

St Ives Staunch - consists of seven sluice gates with a lock gate situated alongside. All seven sluice gates are in poor condition.

To manage the risk of the gates becoming stuck open, leaving us unable to maintain statutory water levels for navigation, four of the seven gates have been isolated in the closed position.

Brownshill Staunch Sluice (photograph below) - located downstream of St Ives Sluice, is made up of three sluice gates with a lock gate situated alongside the structure.

All three sluice gates are in poor condition and two gates have been isolated in the closed position to manage the risk of the gates becoming stuck open, leaving us unable to maintain statutory water levels for navigation.

What have we done?

For all capital investment projects, we must demonstrate that investment is cost beneficial and value for money. This means the ratio of the benefits of a scheme outweigh the costs. If we are able to demonstrate that a project is cost beneficial, we then have to determine the amount of Flood & Coastal Risk Management Grant in Aid (FCRM GiA) funding the project is eligible for. This is determined by a funding calculator which prioritises funding for projects which have the greatest benefit to people and the environment. The biggest factor in determining eligibility for funding is the risk of internal flooding to households.

We have assessed a range of information to support these determinations, including hydraulic river modelling, costs, economic benefits, condition surveys of the asset and historical and recent real world information which has been used to understand both the role the St Ives and Brownshill Staunch sluice structures plays in managing flood risk, the impact the structures have on flood risk and the viability of potential projects for each.

St Ives Sluice

Evidence demonstrates that the St Ives Staunch Sluice structure provides limited flood risk benefit and capital investment on the structure is not cost beneficial and is therefore not eligible for FCRM GiA funding. The evidence also shows that the current condition of St Ives Staunch Sluice is not having a significant impact on the risk of properties flooding which should provide the local community with some reassurance.  

Whilst the structure does not provide a significant flood risk benefit, it is important for maintaining upstream water levels for the purposes of navigation. Maintaining specified water levels for navigation is a statutory duty of the Environment Agency. We have therefore built a case for Moderation funding to enable repairs to the St Ives Staunch Sluice

Moderation is a process where high priority legally required projects are assessed and funded before prioritising other capital investment projects. The cases are only submitted in exceptional circumstances where there is an over-riding requirement for works based on a statutory, legal or health and safety need. Moderation projects have to identify and deliver the least-cost option to solve the problem. Cases are reviewed by an Environment Agency panel and are subject to Defra scrutiny. The moderation case for St Ives Staunch Sluice was approved in September 2024.

Brownshill Staunch Sluice

Evidence demonstrates the Brownshill Staunch Sluice structure is cost beneficial and is therefore eligible for government funding. However, due to the current Partnership Funding Policy, the amount of funding it is eligible for is not sufficient to fully fund the project and therefore additional funding needs to be secured. Given the scale of the funding gap, we do not believe we will be able to secure this from beneficiaries (local businesses etc).

We therefore began building a case for Moderation funding on the same grounds as described above for the St Ives Staunch Sluice, for submission in June 2025. In parallel, we also bid for Capital recondition funding. Capital Reconditioning funding is funding to restore assets to their required condition to ensure they provide the standard of service originally intended. In February 2025, our bid for Capital Reconditioning funding was approved.

For further details, the full modelling report covering St Ives and Brownshill Staunch Sluice can be requested via enquiries_eastanglia@environment-agency.gov.uk

What are we doing?

St Ives Sluice

Following approval of the moderation case in September 2024, we are continuing to prepare the business case and develop a number of options within the confines of current government policy and funding rules. The business case will undertake an economic appraisal of options to identify the least-cost option which fulfils our statutory duty to maintain water levels for navigation, and ensures the structure remains safe. We will consult with the community on the options before a preferred option is decided upon. The final option decided upon must be in line with Government policy and funding rules.

Brownshill Staunch Sluice

Following approval of Capital Reconditioning funding for the next two financial years (2025/26 and 2026/27), we are carrying out detailed asset investigations to identify the full scope of works required to restore the asset to its required condition and ensure it provides it’s originally intended standard of service.

The projects described above will likely provide a short-term fix to address the current condition of both structures. Alongside these projects we are also progressing work to develop a long term investment strategy for the St Ives Staunch Sluice, Brownshill Staunch Sluice and other structures along this navigable stretch of the River Great Ouse.  

In parallel to the project development work described above, we are continuing our inspection regime at the St Ives and Brownshill Staunch Sluice structures to ensure they remain safe and to monitor their condition. This includes:

• Operational checks
• Visual asset inspections
• Mechanical, electrical, instrumentation, control and automation maintenance on operational elements
• Public safety risk assessment inspections
• Ongoing reviews of our contingency plans

Public events

A public drop in event was held in St Ives in August 2024 to give local residents and stakeholders a chance to hear about the situation and speak with staff involved in these projects. It also gave us a valuable insight into the local community’s view of these structures, their perceived role and opinions on their future.

A copy of the presentation and a Frequently Asked Questions document (based on the points raised by attendees) is enclosed.

What should you do?

Hotline Number 

If you are out and about, please report incidents to our hotline number- 0800 80 70 60. It's free and open 24 hours a day. Why not programme it into your phone? Incidents you should report include:

• damage to the natural environment,
• fish in distress,
• pollution,
• collapsed or badly damaged riverbanks and riverbeds
• unusual drops in river flow.

If you are concerned about the risk of flooding to your property, we advise you to:

1. Sign up to flooding warnings - Flood warnings give people valuable time to prepare for flooding – time that allows them to move themselves, their families and precious items to safety. Flood warnings save lives and enable the emergency services to prepare and help communities Sign up for flood warnings - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
2. Check your flood risk - Check the long-term flood risk for an area in England - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
3. Insurance - Think about getting insurance to better protect your home or business against flooding. Check that flood cover is included as part of your buildings and contents insurance. It is always a good idea to shop around before buying insurance.
4. Create a personal flood plan – create checklists to help you prepare for flooding. Personal flood plan - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
5. Adapt your home or business to the risk of flooding – consider how to reduce how much flood water gets into your home and reduce the damage flooding can cause.