Tenbury Wells Flood Risk Management Scheme

Closes 31 Dec 2026

Opened 18 Sep 2020

Overview

Page created 18 September 2020. Last updated 6 March 2024.

Logos of the Environment Agency and River Severn Partnership

Flooding in Tenbury Wells

Tenbury Wells in Worcestershire is situated on the banks of the River Teme. A tributary, the Kyre Brook, also joins the River Teme in the town. Tenbury has suffered from extensive flooding to large parts of the town on several occasions, most recently in October 2023, February 2020 and in November 2019, when levels were just below those which occurred in 2007. The community is at risk of flooding from both the River Teme and the Kyre Brook.

These flooding events impact on people’s homes, businesses and the local economy. Transport links and commuter routes through the town are also affected when flooding occurs. Both the River Teme and the Kyre Brook have a long history of flooding.

Photograph of flooding in the town.

Background to the Flood Risk Management Scheme

Environment Agency engineers have carried out technical assessments in the past to explore whether a public-funded flood risk management scheme was technically feasible, environmentally acceptable and economically viable. Whilst a scheme has been potentially viable in the past, progressing it has not been possible due to other national flood risk priorities and the amount of public money available.  

In 2019 we updated our assessment for a Tenbury Wells Flood Risk Management Scheme (FRMS), reconsidering a number of options and exploring new ones. The preferred option (proposed scheme) is explained below. Unfortunately at that time, a large amount of local money was needed to access national funding before a scheme could be progressed.

After the flooding in February 2020, the Government committed an additional £4.9 million of public money to allow a flood scheme for Tenbury to be progressed.

The Tenbury Wells FRMS is one of two water management schemes currently being developed through funding secured by the River Severn Partnership (RSP). 

The RSP was chosen by Ministers as one of 4 pilots, and allocated funding to assess a range of climate change scenarios and identify the decisions that need to be taken now, and those that may need to be taken in the future, to manage the risk of flooding and coastal change along the length of the River Severn. For further information on the River Severn Partnership, please see the website  http://www.riversevernpartnership.org.uk/

Proposed Scheme Details

The proposed Tenbury Wells FRMS will involve the construction of raised ground and flood walls through the town, improvements to existing structures and consideration is being given to flood gates in specific locations.

This map is indicative of what could be achieved. The alignment shown on the map is approximate. The precise location and height of the walls is subject to detailed design and consultation with key stakeholders and the community.

The FRMS would 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.  

At this stage in the design process, we predict that when the scheme is complete it will reduce risk of flooding to approximately 120 residential and 145 commercial properties.

The Tenbury Wells FRMS will be designed so as not to increase flood risk elsewhere.

Timescales – When, What, Who and How

We have been working with our partners and key stakeholders to progress the design of the scheme. We are making good progress and our intention is to start construction in 2025, but it remains a complex and challenging scheme. We have been focusing on the following areas:

  • Ongoing design of the scheme, including landscape and environmental considerations and more detailed engineering options.
  • The design team are working to address specific complexities to meet the challenges of the scheme.
  • Ongoing groundwater monitoring across the town so that we can better understand how the groundwater behaves.
  • Ongoing works with our partners to review opportunities to improve the drainage on Market Street.
  • Site surveys, including ground investigation, topographical surveys and utilities surveys have been undertaken.
  • We have produced an updated hydraulic model of the town, which allows us to better understand how the water behaves during a flood event.

Previous site surveys identified a number of underground services, including electricity cables, sewers and water mains. The location of these services have informed the current design options, with diversion of some of these services likely as part of the scheme. We will let you know in advance when this work is expected to start on site.

Understanding the utilities information and ground conditions across the site allows us to produce options that are technically viable and will be able to resist the force of the flood waters around the site.

Current Project Activities

In mid-March a consultant working on behalf of the Environment Agency will be on site to undertake a crayfish survey on the River Teme, Humble Brook and Kyre Brook. The survey will use Environmental DNA, a new technology, which is better, cheaper, quicker and less invasive. To do this, water samples are collected from the stream or river and sent to a laboratory for DNA analysis to determine whether white-claw crayfish are present. If they are present, further surveys may be needed to estimate the population of the crayfish present.

We continue to prioritise stakeholder engagement as an integral aspect of our project. We firmly believe that involving the community and addressing individual concerns are fundamental to the success of our flood risk management scheme. Following the completion of the workshops, we are working hard with our Partners to process all the valuable input, and work through remaining challenges with their support.  Recently, our team have spent several days in Tenbury Wells, engaging with specific property owners, to discuss and better understand the impact on individual landowners, businesses, and residents.

James Turner attending Tenbury Town Council meeting on the 05.02.24 to give an update on the scheme.

James Turner attending Tenbury Town Council meeting on the 05.02.24 to give an update on the scheme.

In October, we completed the Church Street Workshop, where we brought together representatives from the St Mary’s Church Parochial Church Council, and the Diocesan Advisory Committee, Worcestershire County Council, Tenbury Town Council, Malvern Hills District Council, and Historic England.  The purpose of this session was to consider a shortlist of three design options, against the multiple constraints in this area. These include the complex faculty and Listed Building Consents to allow any works to St. Mary’s Church assets (given its Grade II* listed status), the sensitivity of disrupting an historic, active graveyard, impact within the conservation area, Highways consents, potential loss of parking, and local impact during delivery.

Church Street Workshop: At the Regal 26/10/23

Church Street Workshop: At the Regal 26/10/23

In November, we completed the Temeside House Workshop, where we engaged with similar key stakeholders, alongside Tesco, Severn Trent Water, and local business owners. The purpose of this workshop was to share the latest design and construction plans for the proposed defence wall alongside Temeside House, discuss the key constraints in this location and develop ideas to resolve them, through collaboration. Whilst significant challenges remain for this area of the scheme, the workshop was incredibly useful, and we continue to work closely with key stakeholders to progress this area of the design.

Temeside House Workshop: Site Walkover 22/11/23

Temeside House Workshop: Site Walkover 22/11/23

In December, we completed the final workshop, which concentrated on Teme Bridge. This focussed on existing utilities and potential diversions required, ahead of constructing the flood defence walls and gate. A major aspect was also considering construction access, and the highway impact during delivery. We have agreed a collaborative approach to early site investigation across the bridge surface, to fully understand the location of existing utilities. In preparation for the disruption caused by the site investigations and during construction, we have agreed a framework to work with Worcestershire & Shropshire County Council’s Highway teams, to best manage the traffic management. We will do this in collaboration with Tenbury Town Council, local businesses, and organisations, to minimise impact on the community, the local economy, and local events. 

Temeside Bridge Workshop at the Pump Rooms 12/12/23 Temeside Bridge Workshop: Site Walkover 12.12.23

Temeside Bridge Workshop at the Pump Rooms & Temeside Bridge Workshop: Site Walkover 12.12.23.

Conservation & biodiversity

Our environmental specialists have visited Tenbury recently, to carry out surveys to understand otter and badger habitats. These form part of our broader biodiversity enhancement initiative, reflecting our commitment to preserving and nurturing the natural ecosystem alongside our flood risk management objectives.

Communication Update

Communication and engagement remain a top priority. We continue to attend the Tenbury Town Council’s monthly Full Council Meeting, where we provide a full project progress update. We also attended the Tenbury Area Partnership (TAP) meeting on 05/2/2024 to present a project update and answer key questions from the group. We also joined the Flood Action Group (FLAG) meeting on 06/02/2024, which is facilitated by the National Flood Forum. These sessions continue to add value to the project, by building relationships with local stakeholders, facilitating meaningful technical discussions, and creating a collaborative environment to move the project forwards. 

Workshops for Collaborative Solutions 

We hosted a series of meetings and workshops with various stakeholders during September - Decemember 2023. The objective was to openly discuss the issues, constraints and merits of each option, and work collectively towards agree a Partners’ and Community Representatives’ Preferred Solution. We are pleased to announce that through collaborative efforts and constructive discussions, a consensus has been reached – the Highway Wall option will be taken forward. 

Whilst this is a positive step forwards, Church Street remains a challenging and complex area of the site. There are a number of issues and constraints associated with this option, including: 

  • Movement of marked and unmarked graves, requiring faculty consent (taking approximately 2 years).  
  • Grade II* listed church left on the wet side.  
  • Highway narrowing of approximately 700mm for approximately 40m, and approximately 200mm for approximately 60m, requiring various approvals and consents (taking approximately 18 months).   
  • Loss of informal parking on Church Street (where the highway is narrowed by 700mm).   
  • Temporary impacts during construction, including road closures that will prevent property access by vehicle for periods of the construction phase, and impacts to Church events and activities. 

The consensus reached during these workshops is a significant step forward in our efforts to protect Tenbury Wells from flooding. We will now be working with Partners to work through the technical detail. We will continue to keep you updated on the progress of this.  

Next Steps: Engagement 

Once the project cost assessment is complete, we will share this information with key partners to plan the way forward on the delivery plan, timescales, funding gaps and our preferred alignment for planning. We remain dedicated to ensuring the success of this vital project for the Tenbury community and we thank you for your continued support and participation.

 Cost Assessment  

We are pleased to report that we are nearing the completion of the crucial project cost assessment. This assessment is pivotal in providing insights into the project’s affordability, the funding gap, and overall financial viability of the project. We understand the importance of ensuring that our endeavours remain economically feasible while effectively mitigating flood risks in Tenbury Wells.

Community Flood Plan:  

We have now held two meetings with the Community Flood Action Plan working group. The EA and the local representatives are working positively towards developing the flood plan, with key actions for both. 

Funding gap 

We have secured an additional £2.5m through the Frequently Flooded Allocation (FFA). As well as £100k FFA to help us understand all the sources of flooding within Tenbury and develop an integrated flood model with Severn Trent and Worcestershire County Council (WCC). However, a funding gap remains, so we are working to identify further funding sources with our Partners.  

The Flood Risk Management Scheme in Tenbury Wells remains a complex design. It must consider the significant context of the area such as heritage, history, the environment and working within and in very close proximity to the church graveyard. 

Future Public Engagement 

Winter/Spring Workshops and Engagement Sessions: Invitations will be sent to selected partners and stakeholders for workshops. Keep an eye out for invites to the workshops and engagement sessions. Public drop-in events are being planned to seek wider community feedback.

📰 Newsletters Updates: We will continue to update you via these newsletters, which will provide you with updates from the workshops, the cost assessment and outline next steps for the project.

🔗 Stay Connected: In the meantime, if you have any questions related to the workshops or our future engagement plans, please do not hesitate to reach out. Please send your inquiries to our dedicated inbox at Tenbury.FRMS@environment-agency.gov.uk

How to Sign Up For The Newsletter

Keeping you up to date on our progress with this scheme is very 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 Tenbury.FRMS@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 Tenbury Wells 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 Tenbury.FRMS@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   

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

February 2024 Newsletter

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December 2023 Newsletter

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October 2023 Newsletter

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Local Considerations

Tenbury Wells has both environmental and historic features that we will take into consideration during this scheme. These include a number of listed buildings within the town and the River Teme being a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). We are consulting with Historic England and Natural England over the scheme and will continue to work with them to safeguard or enhance these assets as much as possible.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

We have produced an FAQ document for this scheme, which you can read by clicking the link. 

FAQs

Tenbury Wells Flood Risk Management   

Scheme (FRMS) - Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)   

Updates to FAQ document in August 2023:   

Amended questions.   

 1, 23   

New questions -  None   

 1. Why are you doing the scheme?   

Tenbury Wells in Worcestershire is situated on the banks of the River Teme. A tributary, the Kyre Brook, also joins the River Teme in the town. Both the River Teme and the Kyre Brook have a long history of flooding.    

After the flooding in February 2020, the Government committed an additional £4.9 million of public money to allow a flood risk management scheme (FRMS) for Tenbury Wells to be progressed. The aim of the FRMS is to reduce the risk of river flooding to properties.   

Our aim is to be in a position to start construction by late 2024.    

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

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

Finalising and costing the scheme's design. This will include landscape and environmental considerations and more detailed engineering options.   

Undertaking Property Flood Resilience (PFR) surveys (refer to question 5).   

Ongoing public engagement at final design stage and pre-construction phase.   

Ongoing engagement with key stakeholders, including Malvern Hills District Council, Worcestershire County Council, Severn Trent Water, English Heritage and the Hereford Anglican Church.   

Working towards the submission of a planning application for later in 2023. This includes work underway on the Environmental Impact Assessment which will inform the planning submission.   

A drop-in community session to provide a view of the plans for the scheme to date and obtain views.   

  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. This is due to heritage, engineering, budgetary and landowner constraints. However, where possible we will take feedback into consideration.   

How we engage with you will be dependent on Coronavirus (COVID -19) restrictions, but we hope to host some face-to-face meetings in the future, if it is safe to do so. Please be assured that we will also continue to share information with you about the scheme on a regular basis, through our newsletter and online information page. This is explained in question 10 below titled 'Will we be kept informed about the scheme?'   

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 120 residential and 145 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 proposed scheme consists of raised ground, flood gates, flood walls and improvement to some existing structures. The precise location and height of the raised ground and flood walls are subject to detailed design and consultation with key stakeholders and engagement with the community. We are reviewing some specific areas of the scheme, for example at St. Marys Church, with a view to incorporating additional properties or assets if possible.   

A number of properties within Tenbury have been identified as potentially benefitting from Property Flood Resilience (PFR) measures. These properties are at risk of flooding but not directly protected by the scheme. They were identified based on an assessment of the flood model and feedback from residents at the public engagement events. Property surveys were undertaken throughout the summer of 2022, and suitable measures are being assessed.   

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 River Teme and the Kyre Brook. For funding reasons the scheme itself does not address groundwater and surface water flooding.    

We are aware that certain areas of the town are affected by surface water flooding and we are working closely with Severn Trent Water and Worcestershire County Council to understand how the scheme will interact with this type of flooding. This will help us assess the influence of surface water and if necessary, mitigate for it.    

We are also aware that a number of properties suffer from groundwater ingress to basements and low levels in houses. We have installed monitoring points across the town to understand how the groundwater behaves. We have undertaken a survey and will continue to assess the influence of groundwater as part of the wider flooding picture.   

8. Will there be other improvements in the town as part of the scheme?    

As part of the scheme, we will be looking to upgrade some existing walls and walkways where we can. We will also be looking to provide environmental enhancement and minimise any damage to the existing environment (for example, avoiding unnecessary tree removal) wherever possible. We will be working with the local community and stakeholders to identify any other opportunities for improvements and added benefits. However, it is important to note that the scheme has a fixed budget and must reduce flooding to the town as a priority.   

9. 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. The scheme will be scrutinised in a flood risk assessment as part of the planning consent required from Malvern Hills District Council. It is important to us that we do not move flooding from one place to another.    

 10. 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 https://consult.environmenthttps://consult.environment-agency.gov.uk/west-midlands/tenbury-wells-flood-risk-management-schemeagency.gov.uk/westmidlands/tenbury-wells-flood-risk-management-scheme.   

If you would like to receive our newsletter, please email your contact details to Tenbury.FRMS@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 Tenbury Wells 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   

Tenbury.FRMS@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.   

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

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?     

Unfortunately, footpath closures will have to take place during the works. This is mainly for health and safety purposes. We will be looking at all the affected footpaths and determining where alternative routes and diversions will be required.   

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

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 on   

Tenbury.FRMS@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 Tenbury Wells. Dredging 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?   

We undertake regular maintenance of the River Teme and Kyre Brook in Tenbury Wells.    

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. What will be the impact of the scheme on heritage and conservation?   

We are consulting heritage experts to ensure the scheme is in keeping with the heritage of the town. The choice of materials will be agreed with Malvern Hills District Council as part of the process of meeting the planning conditions before we start work.   

18. 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 Tenbury Wells area.   

19. 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.    

We are working with the Severn Rivers Trust and landowners to deliver NFM across the Kyre Brook and River Teme catchments. Whilst the scheme itself is not delivering NFM measures, we are linking into the Teme catchment NFM project through our biodiversity net gain initiative.    

The River Teme NFM project will use a variety of techniques to help mitigate potential flood risk. This has included planting vegetation to catch run-off and help stabilise riverbanks. This will reduce erosion and help reduce the amount of sediment entering the watercourse. Tree planting and hedgerow creation have been undertaken; this will reduce the volume of water reaching the watercourse. In the upper parts of the Kyre Brook and River Teme catchments, leaky dams have been constructed, these will help to slow down the flow of water in the river channel.   

20. Will the church graveyard be affected by the works?   

Since early in the development of the project, we have worked with local landowners and key stakeholders, including St Mary's Church. We initially considered alternative options including the option to install a flood defence which would protect the church. However, this would have required a highly significant level of disturbance in the consecrated grounds of St Mary's, causing significant disturbance to large numbers of graves.    

Whilst there remains a requirement for some of our work to be undertaken within the graveyard, which will involve moving a number of graves, we are working with heritage experts and the Hereford Anglican Church to ensure our work is carried out in a sensitive manner.    

21. How will the scheme operate during a flood event?   

Access through the defences will be achieved by providing flood gates. The flood forecast does not provide sufficient time for the Environment Agency to deploy to site and operate the flood gates. Consequently, the scheme will be community led. Once the design of the scheme is finalised, we will engage with the community to develop a Community Flood Plan. Completing a plan will help determine what practical actions to take before and during a flood, helping reduce the damage flooding can cause.      

 22. 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 allow a flood risk management scheme for Tenbury Wells to be progressed to the next stage. 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.   

The latest review of the design has allowed the project team to undertake another cost estimation of the scheme. This has identified higher costs than estimated at the Initial Assessment stage. The reasons for this cost increase are due to the increased complexity of the engineering constraints, unforeseen changes in design, and industry wide increases in material costs.   

Inflation and industry wide cost increases have caused most construction material costs to rise by 20% in the last 12-month period – some, including steel, cement, and bricks by much more.    

Working with partners, the project team are undertaking a review of the design to assess where greater value can be achieved from an engineering perspective, looking again at where the scheme can achieve greater benefits to improve the benefit cost ratio, and investigating additional funding sources.   

23. How do the scheme's costs compare to its funding? 

During the conceptual and outline design stage, the project was estimated to cost between £7-10m, which included several necessary assumptions. Now that we have progressed the project to ‘detailed design stage’ we have a better understanding of the total cost and benefits. There will be an increase in the overall costings of the scheme, and we are working hard to finalise these final figures.  The increase in costing is due to the complex nature of the design must consider the significant context of the area such as heritage, historic, environmental designations and working within a constrained church graveyard. To date these have led to cost increases and programme delays of several months. Inflation is still causing most construction material costs to have risen by 20% in the last 12-month period – some, including steel, cement, and bricks by much more.   

The scheme benefits amount has increased: this includes reduced risk of damage to homes, businesses and heritage sites, reduced risk to life, improvement in mental health across the town, and increased biodiversity. Government funded projects need to have more benefits than costs. The project team are working hard with others to reduce the costs through design modification, value engineering and partnership working.    

This project has currently secured funding from:   

£1.1m Flood Defence Grant in Aid (FDGiA)   

£4.9m Summer 2020 Economic Recovery Fund  

£2.5m Frequently Flooded Allowance  

£0.8m Contributions from Malvern Hills District Council, Local Enterprise Partnership, and Worcestershire County Council.   

We are working very hard to bridge any funding gaps. Our partners remain committed to funding and delivering the scheme and we will continue to work together to reduce the funding gap.   

24. How will the emergency services access the town when the scheme is operational?   

We are working with the emergency services whilst we develop a plan for the operation of the scheme. This will include details on what actions need to be taken before and during a flood event, and how the emergency services can continue to provide those services to the Tenbury Wells area.   

25. What is the River Severn Partnership?   

The Tenbury Wells FRMS is one of two water management schemes currently being developed through funding secured by the River Severn Partnership (RSP).    

The RSP was chosen by Ministers as one of four pilots and allocated funding to assess a range of climate change scenarios and identify the decisions that need to be taken now, and those that may need to be taken in the future, to manage the risk of flooding and coastal change along the length of the River Severn. For further information on the River Severn Partnership, please see the website http://www.riversevernpartnership.org.uk/   

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

Construction is due to start in 2024 and is expected to last between 18 to 24 months. This is dependent on funding, approvals, and any unforeseen engineering challenges on site.   

The project team have considered if the construction period could be condensed, but this would involve closing off the town for business and access routes which isn’t viable for the community, as we understand from the public consultation feedback in November 2021. The construction programme is under regular review to achieve efficiencies where possible.   

 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.

An image of the flood warning 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.

If you have any feedback about this page, or use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need a version of any document in a more accessible format, please email Tenbury.FRMS@environment-agency.gov.uk or call our National Customer Contact Centre on 03708 506 506.

Please tell us what format you need. It will help us if you say what assistive technology you use.

If you have any feedback about this page, or use assistive technology (such as a screen reader) and need a version of any document in a more accessible format, please email Tenbury.FRMS@environment-agency.gov.uk or call our National Customer Contact Centre on 03708 506 506.

Please tell us what format you need. It will help us if you say what assistive technology you use.

Audiences

  • Fishing clubs and representative associations
  • Businesses
  • Charities
  • Statutory organisations
  • Members of the public
  • Elected representatives, including MPs
  • Local councils
  • District and parish councils
  • Land owners
  • Farming associations
  • Water companies
  • Community groups
  • Flood action groups
  • Environment Agency colleagues
  • Lead Local Flood Authorities
  • Flood Resilience Forums
  • Town and parish councils

Interests

  • Business and industry
  • Flood management
  • Habitats and wildlife
  • Specific projects, issues, or activity pages