Sustainable Drainage System
Client: Cheltenham Borough Council
Location: Cheltenham
Service: Erosion Control
Project Outline:
Heavy rain events cause flooding issues as the small streams and drainage network within Cheltenham struggle with increased water flow.
A new technique for an old problem
A collaborative project between the Environment Agency and Cheltenham Borough Council has seen the retro-fitting of a Sustainable Drainage System (SuDS) into a housing estate in Cheltenham. Heavy rain events cause flooding issues as the small streams and drainage network within Cheltenham struggle with increased water flow.
New housing estates in the region have SuDS schemes fitted as standard but it is unusual to be able to retro-fit a scheme into an existing estate. Retro-fitting has a number of challenges, including the location of services and working close to the general public.
JPR Environmental were contracted to construct the SuDS scheme, working for Cheltenham Borough Council with a design by Illman-Young Landscape Architects. The design included a temporary flood storage pond to take road run-off and a number of individual rain gardens fed from roof water. These features have the effect of slowing down the water run-off reaching the drainage system, alleviating the peak flows during a heavy rain event.
We managed all aspects of the project successfully including drainage works, pond construction and soft landscaping to the satisfaction of the client. A major impact on the project was the presence of asbestos on site which was removed under HSE licence. Maintenance of the site will continue for 12 months to ensure that the plants get properly established and that the system works as it should.
