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Letter: We must work together on Forest flooding prevention




We share Anthony Pasmore’s concern in New Forest Notes (A&T 7th June) over the EA’s draft proposals for Natural Flood Management, ostensibly to protect Brockenhurst. This winter’s extreme rainfall confirmed that climate change is already with us and the Met Office has warned that central southern England will also suffer severe drought, so we need to address both.

Fortunately flood prevention measures can also capture water for the benefit of both commoners’ livestock and Forest ecology but Forest rivers are very short and, without such measures water from summer thunderstorms, will be lost to the Solent. Community and authorities need to come together to decide where water is most needed, where it is not and how best to manage it to best effect, as we have been advocating since the 2016 Flood Resilience Review.

The Forest needs to address flooding and droughts
The Forest needs to address flooding and droughts

The local EA later tasked Wessex River Trust to look at the feasibility of natural flood management on Lymington River’s smallest tributary, the Weirs, and their draft study has just been circulated. However, to be effective NFM will also need to be applied on the three much larger tributaries, holding back water where needed by making use of both existing man made features such as causeways and natural features such as fallen trees to replenish mires and water holes, as well as to refresh lawns by capturing summer storms. In winter the same benign and cost-effective measures can also reduce peak flood levels by slowing the flow into the village, provided obstructions downstream are also kept clear to ensure such water can get out faster than it comes in.

Our flood action group was formed to advocate action before climate change could cause serious flooding, rather than waiting for the first event, but time is running out.

Elsewhere 100 community-led NFM demonstration projects have been funded by the UK government since 2016. Most are now complete, but despite our best efforts, the Forest has yet to start.

Peter Hebard

Brockenhurst and New Forest Flood Action Group



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