Map of the study area of this project
There is significant flood risk to many homes within the catchment. There are 576 properties within the Environment Agency’s Flood Warning Area. There have been three recent floods, two in 2016 and one in 2019. As a result, the Environment Agency have secured funding to investigate ways to reduce this risk. They are at the very start of the project which involves gathering data and building a computer model to identify and allow for understanding of the causes of flooding.
There are several sources of flooding. Flood water can come from Poise Brook and / or Hazel Grove Brook itself (river flooding) or heavy rainfall can accumulate because the surface water drains and sewers are overwhelmed, and the water cannot get into the river (surface water flooding). It is important that we tackle all the flooding issues in an integrated way. Therefore, the Environment Agency are working with Stockport Council, who manage the highway drains, and United Utilities, who manage the sewer network, with further support from Mersey Rivers Trust have joined together to form a Steering group and project team to ensure all options are fully integrated. This project is being used as a pilot for the Greater Manchester Integrated Water Management Plan, click here to read more on the Integrated Water Management Plan.
The Environment Agency project team are very keen to ensure we not only reduce flood risk but also improve the environment.
The Environment Agency will use computer modelling to help them understand and quantify the flood risk and consider how it will change as the climate changes. Following this they will develop a series of options and carry out economic and environmental appraisal of those options. They will talk residents in the affected area to explain and discuss the options before selecting our preferred option. The modelling began in October 2023. This means the team will want to talk to communities about options in 2024, and then it will take another year to develop the design, so construction would begin, if a project is viable, in 2026. The team will keep residents and others interested in the project up to date by updates to the Flood Hub, newsletters and community drop-in sessions.
