Repair and Renew Grants Aylesbury
Posted 29. 06. 2018
Client: Bucks CC
Contract Value: £130,000
Location: Aylesbury
Damage Prevented: Unknown
Improving Flood Response
In February 2014, 79 homes and many cars on the estate were badly damaged when Stoke Brook burst its banks after heavy rainfall. The Willows Flood Group was formed to help residents, and look for a future solution. Thanks to the Water-Gate’s simplicity, it was chosen as part of a scheme to help defend the housing estate. The council pooled the Repair & Renew Grant money and purchased around 800m of Water-Gate, along with pumps, non-return valves and a small section of Aquadam.
County councillor Steve Lambert, who chaired the steering group, paid tribute to the partnership, particularly the residents’ flood group formed after the storms.
‘Everyone more than pulled their weight to work together to reach a good solution,’ said Steve. ‘Permanent flood defences would have been prohibitively expensive, but I believe we’ve got the best emergency defences for the money available.
‘I believe we were the first to ask the government whether we could pool the individual repairs and renewals grants to each of the 79 householders, so that the whole community of 450 homes would benefit.’