Bourn and Lower Rea Flood Risk Management Scheme

Closes 31 Jan 2027

Opened 2 Aug 2023

Overview

             The existing River Rea in Digbeth

                                 The existing River Rea in Digbeth  

           River Rea at its highest recorded levels in 2018

                         River Rea at its highest recorded levels in 2018

Background to the Flood Risk Management Scheme

The River Rea, and its main tributaries (The Bourn and Bourn Brook), are heavily urbanised watercourses situated to the south of Birmingham City. The lower reaches of the Rea are heavily modified, with historic works (dating back to the 1920’s) resulting in a canalised, brick lined channel from Cannon Hill Park to the south of Digbeth, through to its confluence with the River Tame around Spaghetti Junction.

The nature of the catchment is such that the onset of fluvial flooding following intense storms can be rapid, with encroachment into the floodplain. Flooding in 2008, 2012, 2016 and 2018 impacted several communities throughout the catchment. The devastating impact of the 2018 flood event can be seen in the following short video Final May 2018 Birmingham Flooding.MOV. With anticipated climate change impacts and an increasing urban population, we are likely to see an increase in both the likelihood and impact of similar events in the future.

Recent Flooding in the Birmingham Area - Rea Catchment Partnership

Proposed Scheme Details

The scheme aims to reduce flood risk to areas that remain at risk in The Bourn and River Rea catchments by constructing flood water storage reservoir areas on the Bourn (a tributary of the Rea), possible at Calthorpe Park, Manor Farm Park, Weoley Hill Park and Valley Parkwall . The reason for this is in the event of heavy rainfalls or flooding, these storage areas will accumulate storm waters to slow the flow of the river with the aim to reduce the risk of flooding in urban areas.  Around 270 existing residential and 360 commercial properties across the River Rea and Bourn catchments would benefit from the scheme. This scheme offers a once in a generation opportunity to facilitate meaningful environmental change in the heart of Birmingham. It would unlock a 15-hectare area that has been identified by the city council for redevelopment into a new mixed-use residential community of up to 10,000 homes, named the Rea Valley Urban Quarter.

The project aims to deliver a vision that:

  • Secures economic resilience through delivering £270m in flood risk benefits to property and infrastructure and reducing flood risk to 270 existing residential properties and 360 businesses / commercial properties.
  • Drives regeneration and the sustainable economic growth of Birmingham city centre by acting as the catalyst for delivering the ‘Rea Valley Urban Quarter’ Supplementary Planning Document led by Birmingham City Council.
  • Facilitates the realisation of £180m of annual Gross Value Added uplift, and up to £100m in Land Value Uplift associated with regeneration activities enabled by delivery of the Flood Risk Infrastructure.
  • Safeguards existing business, property, and infrastructure through Digbeth and the wider Rea Catchment including Edgbaston, Stirchley and Bournville, with Mondelez (Cadbury’s site) already showing a growing interest in investing to avoid relocating.
  • Creates and promotes jobs and skills packages in the environmental and engineering sectors.
  • Provides strategic infrastructure opportunities and supports the West Midland Combined Authority WMCA economic recovery package and levelling up agenda.
  • Unlocks space for blue and green infrastructure, wildlife corridors, trees, and hedgerows – a key ambition of the West Midlands Natural Capital Plan 2021-2026.
  • Contributes to the key Covid-19 recovery themes of enhancing more green and blue space access and improving physical and mental health for people (Community Recovery Prospectus).
  • Supports development of the West Midlands Transport Plan, particularly around the themes of tackling the climate emergency and creating a fairer society.

Timescales – what we are doing and when.

We are currently working with partners to develop an Outline Business Case to set out the case for investment for the preferred option and carry out the appraisal work including surveys and outline design. This is likely to take a total of 18 months, with a further 24 months for a Full Business Case which includes detailed design and planning, along with appointing the preferred contractor. The current aim is to start construction in Summer / Autumn 2026. assuming all funding is in place

Current Project Activities

We are currently working with our partners and key stakeholders to progress the Outline Business Case and outline design for the scheme. We have been focusing on the following areas: 

  • Completion of the baseline river model to help provide more detail on flood risk.
  • Ongoing concept design of the proposed flood defences. 
  • Desk top studies and specifications have been produced for critical site surveys including ground investigation, topographical surveys, and structural surveys.  
  • Environmental and ecological surveys have been completed and are now under review.

Next Steps

The key next steps for the project are as follows: 

  • Sharing further information with the community throughout August and September 2023.
  • Ground investigation and site survey work, due to start in early Autumn 2023.  
  • Ongoing design of the scheme, including more detailed engineering and landscaping designs. 

Funding Gap

The scheme is estimated to cost in the region of £36m for 4 flood storage areas. We can attract some Government Grant in Aid funding, but significant third-party contributions are required to deliver the scheme. We will be working with the community and partners over the coming months to further develop our funding and engagement plan. The project will also act as a catalyst to unlocking a wide range of further benefits by unlocking developable land currently constrained by flood risk.

Catchment overview of the Bourne and lower Rea

Future Public Engagement

We are planning to host a public engagement event in Autumn 2023 to provide an update on scheme progress. Details of this event will be advertised locally once dates and a venue have been confirmed.

We want to keep working closely with the community and key stakeholders and are keen to engage with you throughout the project. We will share more detailed information about the scheme at the following key stages.

  • Once design and landscaping options have been further developed.
  • Prior to submission of the planning application.
  • Prior to starting construction on site.

We will provide regular updates about the scheme through our newsletters and online information page. Details of how to sign up to our newsletter are below.

Signing Up To Our Newsletter

Keeping you up to date on our progress with this scheme is especially important to us. We will continue to provide updates through this information page and via our newsletter. If you would like to receive our newsletter, please email your contact details to TheBournFRMS@environment-agency.gov.uk  or call our National Customer Contact Centre during office hours on 03708 506 506 and we will add you to our mailing list.

PLEASE NOTE- By providing us with your contact details you consent to the Environment Agency using the details provided to contact you with updates about the Bourn and Lower Rea Flood Risk Management Scheme. We will keep your contact details until the project is closed, or until you withdraw your consent, whichever is sooner. You can withdraw your consent to receive these updates at any time by emailing us at TheBournFRMS@environment-agency.gov.uk  or calling 03708 506 506 during office hours. We will not share your details with any other third party without your explicit consent unless we are required to by law.

The Environment Agency is the data controller for the personal data you provide. For further information on how we deal with your personal data please see our Personal Information Charter on GOV.UK (search 'Environment Agency personal information charter') or contact our Data Protection team.  Address: Data Protection team, Environment Agency, Horizon House, Deanery Road, Bristol, BS1 5AH. Email: dataprotection@environment-agency.gov.uk   

You can follow us on Twitter too at @EnvAgencyMids as we will be tweeting about the work we are doing on this scheme.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

We have produced an FAQ (Frequently Asked Question) document for this scheme, which you can read here

FAQs

 

Updates to FAQ document in July 2023

Amended questions 0

New questions 0


Bourn and Lower Rea Flood Risk Management Scheme (FRMS) - Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

 

1. Why are you doing the scheme?

Since the flooding in 2008, 2012, 2016 and 2018 impacted several communities throughout the catchment. We are looking at developing a scheme in the area since The River Rea and its main tributaries (The Bourn and Bourn Brook), are heavily urbanised watercourses situated to the south of Birmingham City. The canalised, brick lined channels from Cannon Hill Park to the South of Digbeth pose a high-risk during flooding events as the flood waters have nowhere to go. Therefore, the construction of flood storage areas along the River Rea will provide an alternative area for the flood waters to gather in order to prevent such high river levels at times of heavy rain fall and reduced the risk of flooding in the urban areas.  

2. What are the key activities in the coming months?

We are at the outline design stage of the project. The key upcoming activities are:

Developing the design, including surveys and ground investigation, and reviewing landscape and environmental requirements.

Public engagement at final design stage and pre-construction phase.

Ongoing engagement with key stakeholders.

3. Will there be more engagement with the community as the scheme progresses?

We want to work closely with the community and key stakeholders and are keen to engage with you throughout the project. We will share more detailed information about the scheme at the following key stages. 

Once design and landscaping options have been further developed. 

Prior to submission of the planning application.

Prior to starting construction on site.

There are limitations to the extent of how much we can adapt the scheme based on feedback we receive.

4. Will my house be protected against flooding?

At this stage in the design process, we predict that the scheme, when complete, will reduce flood risk to approximately 270 residential and 365 commercial properties.

The FRMS will be designed to provide a 1 in 100 year Standard of Protection (SoP) (equivalent to a 1% chance of flooding at any given year), with an additional allowance for climate change.

5. Is the design finalised? Some areas don’t appear to be protected.

The design is not finalised yet and the scheme aims to reduce flood risk to areas that remain at risk in The Bourn and River Rea catchments by constructing three storage areas on the Bourn (a tributary of the Rea), Manor Farm and one at Calthorpe Park. Around 270 existing residential and 360 commercial properties across the River Rea and Bourn catchments would benefit from the scheme. This scheme offers a once in a generation opportunity to facilitate meaningful environmental change in the heart of Birmingham. It would unlock a 15-hectare area that has been identified by the city council for redevelopment into a new mixed -use residential community of up to 10,000 homes. The scheme will be designed so as not to increase flood risk elsewhere.

6. Does the scheme consider climate change?

We always consider climate change when designing and implementing a scheme. We follow Environment Agency guidance and add allowances for climate change.

7. Does the scheme consider surface water issues and other types of flooding?

The scheme aims to reduce fluvial (river) flooding from the from the River Rea and its tributaries.  

8. I live in an area where I am not protected by the defences. Will my flood risk increase? 

We undertake flood modelling to ensure that the scheme does not increase flood risk elsewhere. Where we have identified a change in flood risk, we have already engaged with the property owner to explain the risk and offer additional measures to protect their property.

9. Will we be kept informed about the scheme?

We will keep people informed and engaged throughout the length of the scheme. We will do this through regular newsletters and our online information page, which can be accessed at the following link TheBournFRMS@environment-agency.gov.uk.

If you would like to receive our newsletter, please email your contact details to TheBournFRMS@environment-agency.gov.uk or call our National Customer Contact Centre on 03708 506 506 during office hours and we will add you to our mailing list.

PLEASE NOTE- By providing us with your contact details you consent to the Environment Agency using the details provided to contact you with updates about the Bourn and Lower Rea Flood Risk Management Scheme. We will keep your contact details until the project is closed or until you withdraw your consent, whichever is sooner.

You can withdraw your consent to receive these updates at any time by emailing us at TheBournFRMS@environment-agency.gov.uk or calling 03708 506 506. We will not share your details with any other third party without your explicit consent unless we are required to by law.

The Environment Agency is the data controller for the personal data you provide. For further information on how we deal with your personal data please see our Personal Information Charter on GOV.UK (search 'Environment Agency personal information charter') or contact our Data Protection team.  Address: Data Protection team, Environment Agency, Horizon House, Deanery Road, Bristol, BS1 5AH. Email: dataprotection@environment-agency.gov.uk   

11. Will there be disruption to me during the construction works?

As we have not finalised the design for the scheme, we cannot provide any information about disruption to individuals. However, any scheme is likely to provide some level of disruption, such as noise, road closures and construction traffic. We will keep the community informed whilst developing the scheme to ensure people are made aware of any disruptions in advance and are able to talk to us about their concerns. We always work with contractors who are ‘considerate neighbours.'  The construction phase of this scheme is likely to be started for a few years.

12. How are you going to access the construction area?

When the construction phase does begin we will minimise the disruption to local residents and always consider health and safety when looking at access routes, such as putting adequate traffic management systems in place. As part of our design process, we will look at access arrangements to all areas of the scheme and make sure that all individuals who are directly affected are consulted.

13. When working on sections of the scheme, will there be foot path closures, and will there be alternative routes available? 

As we have not finalised the design for the scheme, we cannot provide any information about closure to individuals. Once we have these full details, we will keep the community informed whilst developing the scheme to ensure people are made aware of any disruptions in advance and are able to talk to us about their concerns.

14. Can I approach your staff directly on site to discuss the proposed scheme?

To help keep everyone safe during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic we ask that you avoid/minimise your contact with our site staff and contractors as much as possible.

If you have concerns or queries relating to the scheme, please do not approach our staff and contractors on site. We ask instead that you contact us via email onTheBournFRMS@environment-agency.gov.uk or by telephone during office hours on 03708 506 506.

15. Have you considered dredging to alleviate flood risk?

As part of our Initial Assessment, we considered several options to alleviate flood risk to Bourn and Lower Rea dredging was discussed but is neither an effective nor affordable long-term solution to the issues of flooding in the town.

In extreme flooding events, the small increases in width and depth achieved by dredging a waterway do not provide enough capacity to contain the excess flood water.

Dredging may also be ineffective in reducing flooding, as the natural processes in many rivers can cause silt to build up again quickly. As a result, it is not affordable to continuously dredge the length of the watercourse.

The Environment Agency also has a duty to protect valuable river habitats, and dredging has been proven to cause considerable damage to river ecosystems.   

16. Do you undertake maintenance of the watercourses?

The responsibility of maintaining a watercourse sits with the riparian landowner. However, we will intervene if there is an increased flood risk to residential properties from a structure or channel, such as a blockage. We will inform the riparian landowner to rectify the defect or carry out the removal ourselves where there is a heightened risk of flooding. For further information on riparian rights and responsibilities, please refer to our 'owning a watercourse' guidance on GOV.UK at the following link https://www.gov.uk/guidance/owning-a-watercourse

You can contact our incident hotline on 0800 80 70 60 to report a flood or possible cause of flooding.

17. Will the Flood Risk Management Scheme damage the environment?

The Environment Agency has a biodiversity net gain approach to the development of the scheme. This is to ensure any biodiversity loss because of the scheme is mitigated within the river catchment.

Whilst we will make every effort to limit the loss of trees in the final design of the scheme, it is inevitable that we will need to remove some trees and vegetation to complete the work. Where removing trees cannot be avoided, we will plant replacements. For every tree lost because of our work, we will plant five more. We will also be working with residents and other groups to identify suitable planting in the local area, and if necessary, opportunities in the wider Birmingham area.

18. Is Natural Flood Risk Management (NFM) being considered as part of the solution to alleviate flooding?

Working with natural processes and using NFM measures where appropriate will help us manage and reduce flood risk in an efficient, cost-effective, and sustainable way.

19. Is there enough funding to complete the scheme?

Any flood scheme is subject to government funding rules based on achieving a positive cost benefit ratio, and all schemes will have to go through a series of stages to gain approval for funding. At each stage the scheme will be subject to scrutiny in order to ensure that the scheme offers value to the taxpayer.

We have secured funding to progress with the design of the scheme. As with any government funded scheme, we must continue to ensure that the cost does not outweigh the benefits and there is a constant review of this element of the project.

20. When will construction start and when will the scheme be finished?

Construction is due Mid-Late 2026 and is expected to last between 18 to 24 months. This is dependent on funding, approvals, and any unforeseen engineering challenges on site.

This document will be added to and updated as the scheme progresses, so please continue to refer to this document in the first instance if you have any questions.

Remaining Flood Aware 

Please make sure you remain flood aware and ensure you are signed up to our flood warning service. Visit www.gov.uk/sign-up-for-flood-warnings or call 0345 988 1188 to sign up to get Flood Alerts and Warnings by phone, email and/or text message. This is a free service. Alternatively contact our Flood Resilience Engagement Advisors at Floodresilience@environment-agency.gov.uk

Know what to do when you receive a flood warning - use the 3-point plan.

Thank you for visiting our information page. Please keep visiting this page as we will be updating it regularly. This page will be open to the public until the end of construction.

Give us your views

People can contact TheBournFRMS@environment-agency.gov.uk or call 02084 747 856.

Audiences

  • Members of the public

Interests

  • Flood management