The Environment Agency is delivering a proposed Flood Risk Management Scheme to better protect homes and business from flooding in the Kent catchment, and improve the local environment and community amenities. Kendal is the first area to be delivered, followed by Burneside, Staveley, and Ings, and upstream measures including flood storage. In addition, Natural Flood Management measures are being integrated into the plans which aim to slow the flow of water and provide wider environmental benefits across the catchment.
The Kent catchment has a long history of flooding which was experienced most recently during Storm Desmond in 2015, when 2,276 properties and businesses were flooded in Kendal, Burneside, Staveley and Ings.
Since the flooding in 2015, the Environment Agency along with Cumbria County Council, South Lakeland District Council, United Utilities and other professional partners including the local community have investigated over 60 different options for how to best manage flood risk across the catchment. Each option was carefully considered for their technical feasibility, economic viability, environmental sustainability and social acceptability. The preferred options for the Kent catchment were presented in September 2018 which consisted of a combination of options that included raised linear walls and embankments, conveyance improvements and upstream storage. Multi-million pounds will be invested in this combination of measures that will aim to reduce the risk of flooding to a 1% chance in any one year to 1,480 homes and 1,100 local businesses which employ 6,105 people in the town of Kendal and villages of Burneside, Staveley and Ings. This investment will protect the local economy worth £277 million and will reduce flood damages by £880 million.
Taking a catchment based approach the Flood Risk Management Scheme will be delivered through the Kent catchment as follows:
The proposed upstream storage will provide the necessary storage capacity required to temporarily hold excess flood water during storm conditions. By maximising and formalising the existing floodplain in key upstream locations, it provides the ability to reduce the amount of flood water that flows through the downstream villages and Kendal town. These measures, in conjunction with works to improve conveyance of water and the installation of NFM measures to hold water and slow the flow, provide a suite of effective measures.
These are important elements to complete the scheme, each providing a number of flood risk benefits and playing a vital role in managing excess flows from the upper reaches of the catchment.
Click the link below to download a map of the catchment that shows the proposed Flood Risk Management Scheme:
The road map to delivery outlines the key stages we need to complete to develop the flood risk management scheme. ‘Hover’ over each ‘flag’ to find out more information on each stage.
Construction of the Kendal Flood Risk Management Scheme started in February 2021 and will be complete in 2023. The key programme dates for the scheme are outlined in the table below.
Milestone | Start | End |
Linear Defences at Burneside and Proposed Upstream Flood Storage Area | ||
Data gathering
Detailed design Planning submission/approval Construction |
Summer 2020
Summer 2023 Winter 2023 Winter February 2025 |
Spring 2022
Winter 2025 Spring 2024 Spring 2027 |
Staveley, Ings and Proposed Upstream Flood Storage Area | ||
Data gathering
Detailed design Planning submission/approval Construction |
Summer 2020
Spring 2023 Autumn 2023 Winter 2025 |
Spring 2022
Summer 2024 Spring 2024 Summer 2027 |
Stock Beck Catchment Drain | ||
Data gathering
Detailed design Planning submission/approval Construction |
Summer 2021
Winter 2023 Summer 2023 Autumn 2024 |
Spring 2022
Autumn 2024 Winter 2024 Winter 2025 |
Natural Flood Management Projects | ||
Peatland restoration (NFM)
Staveley (NFM) |
TBC
April 2020 |
TBC
March 2021 |
(Dates last updated May 2022)
Information on this page has been provided by the Environment Agency and was correct at the time of upload. The Flood Hub is not responsible for any information held on this page. For any enquiries, see the Contact section of the page.