Mansfield residents slam 'rain gardens' used as preventative flood measures

One resident in Mansfield has launched a petition to “halt further construction of rain gardens” on Mansfield roads by Severn Trent.

Rain gardens, known as sustainable drainage systems (SuDS), are designed to manage storm water locally – as close its source as possible – to mimic natural drainage.

With climate change, population growth, housing developments, and society behaviour change, like paving over front gardens to create parking space, communities like Mansfield are at an increased risk of surface water flooding during heavy rainfall.

As seen in recent months, with Storm Babet in October 2023 and Storm Henk earlier this month, river levels are continuing to rise at record-breaking heights – as the district faces an increased flooding risk.

However, not everyone is happy about the influx of drainage systems, as dozens of residents have hit out at the measures, citing “traffic congestion, road safety concerns, and general maintenance disruptions” as primary reasons.

Commenting on the petition – https://shorturl.at/apIMT – Ian Richardson said: “They are an eyesore, dangerous and don’t seem to be put anywhere sensible.”

Current parking capacity and parking need are taken into account when deciding upon a location for an intervention, confirmed Severn Trent.

Adam Boucher, programme lead for Severn Trent said: “The recent storms that we’ve recently experienced only highlight the need for this vital £76 million project that we hope will become the way forward for communities across the UK in the future to alleviate flood risk.

“The interventions that we’ve installed so far have performed very well as we act now – turning to nature to install sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) across Mansfield.

“We may install interventions, such as rain gardens, in locations that have never experienced flooding before, but great care and time has been taken to establish the right location for the right type of intervention which will help alleviate flood risk for communities downstream.

“This work is approved by Nottinghamshire Council Highways and have each completed a road safety audit before we install.”

Mr Boucher said Severn Trent teams are always more than happy to discuss any concerns with customers and assess design changes if appropriate.