Dr Neil Hudson MP welcomed news that Brampton is to benefit from £255,000 of Conservative Government funding from the £25 million Natural Flood Management programme.
Brampton Natural Flood Management Project, led by Brampton 2 Zero Community Interest Company is one of 40 project across England which has been selected to use natural processes such as planting trees and creating wetlands to reduce the risk of flooding.
Part of the government’s plan to increase the nation’s flood resilience, natural flood management processes protect, restore, and mimic the natural functions of catchments, floodplains and the coast to slow and store water.
At Brampton, the money will go towards grip blocking at Fell Moss to extend and enhance existing wetland habitats, to increase the water storage in this natural basin and take pressure of downstream waterways during wet weather events. On top of this the Brampton 2 Zero team will explore options to re-naturalise the Brampton Beck at Moss House, using fencing to minimise livestock erosion of the banks. Options to store more (or less) water in this area will also be explored, in consultation with the farmer.
The project will create additional flood storage upstream of a culvert inlet at Towan Bank, to slow and temporarily store flood water upstream of Brampton.
Wider benefits include peat restoration at Fell Moss.
The announcement comes after a wide range of applications were submitted to the Environment Agency by community groups, environmental charities and councils for grants, following the launch of the largest-ever investment in natural flood management schemes in September last year. The Environment Agency led a review of these applications, with input from DEFRA and Natural England.
The next steps will be led and coordinated nationally by the NFM Programme Team. They will invite lead applicants of the successful projects to proceed to the next stage of project development. During which they will be supported in the development of their projects’ full business cases and to ensure they can claim the funding quickly and efficiently as their projects progress.
Dr Neil Hudson MP said:
"Congratulations to the Brampton 2 Zero team for taking advantage of our Conservative Government's exciting and innovative Natural Flood Management programme. Unfortunately as witnessed recently, our corner of England is all-too-often at the mercy of the elements - but our Conservative Government is fighting back.
"Natural flood prevention techniques deliver for nature as well as the many homes and businesses impacted by flooding across the country - that is why it is only right our Government is prioritising this with the biggest investment in our nation's history."
The new funding builds on the £15m natural flood management pilot programme which ran until 2021, creating the equivalent of 1.6 million cubic metres of water storage and reducing flood risk to 15,000 homes.
The Environment Agency is managing the new £25 million programme with work taking place from now until March 2027.
The programme will help meet the goals of the National Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Strategy for England, which provides a longer-term vision of how we will better protect and prepare homes and businesses from flooding and coastal change and create climate resilient places.
It also supports the Government Policy Statement on Flood and Coastal Erosion Management, which highlights the importance of harnessing the power of nature, and the Environmental Improvement Plan, which recognises the need to mitigate and adapt to climate change with the use of nature-based solutions. Investing in natural flood management will support the government’s plan to better protect communities while tackling climate change and benefitting nature.
To find out more about the Natural Flood Management Programme and for a full list of successful projects refer to our Gov.uk pages and below.
Floods Minister Robbie Moore added:
"It’s vital we use nature as an ally in our work to become ready for climate change, helping to restore the natural environment and protecting homes and businesses. That’s why we’re funding the biggest-ever investment in natural flood management – and it’s great to see the huge demand.
"These schemes will complement traditional bricks-and-mortar defences, all funded by our £5.2 billion flood programme. This programme is one more part of our plan to bolster flood resilience and shield communities – all whilst boosting biodiversity, restoring habitats and protecting the environment for future generations."
