(Image: Freelancer)
A natural flood management scheme has reached completion with hopes of protecting communities from the growing threat of climate change.
The £306,000 scheme focused on the River Dove in North Yorkshire and aimed to reduce flood risk for the villages of Kirkby Mills and Keldholme, with work delivered by the Environment Agency and Yorkshire Wildlife Trust.
The project reconnected 27 hectares of floodplain to the river and created more than 7,500 cubic metres of flood storage—about the volume of three Olympic-sized swimming pools.
Joe Allan, flood and coastal risk management adviser at the Environment Agency, said: "This project shows what can be achieved when we work with nature, not against it, reconnecting the river to its floodplain and improving land management across the catchment.
"We've created a more resilient landscape that reduces the risk of flooding to communities, helping to protect them from the impacts of the more extreme weather we are seeing as a result of climate change."
The scheme was completed during Flood Action Week, a national campaign encouraging the public to check their flood risk and prepare for extreme weather.
Over the two-year project, the team collaborated with 18 farms and 15 landowners to deliver measures tailored to the local environment.
It was informed by a study commissioned by Kirkbymoorside Town Council and funded through a mix of sources, including £154,000 from the Yorkshire Regional Flood and Coastal Committee’s Local Levy and £134,000 from the Flood Defence Grant in Aid.
Henry Morgan, project officer at Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, said: "None of this would have been possible without the landowners and farmers who worked alongside our team to find solutions that worked for their businesses, the river, local communities and wildlife.
"The project brought together key stakeholders and has served as a great example of partnership working.
"The lessons from the project are already being taken forward into the design of a new natural flood management project in its early stages on the adjacent River Seven catchment, which aims to help alleviate flooding in Sinnington."
Work completed through the scheme includes 22 attenuation ponds and scrapes, one kilometre of new hedgerow planting, 1.2 kilometres of riparian buffer strips, 20 leaky barriers, and a soil health programme now covering 325 hectares of farmland.
During excavations at Grouse Hall, the team also uncovered a significant archaeological find—a Romano-British field forge with evidence of ironworking.
The artefacts have been carbon-dated and recorded with the York Museum.
While the main scheme is now complete, a few final measures are still being wrapped up, including surface run-off interventions above Kirkbymoorside and additional hedgerow planting in the upper catchment.
The project benefited from funding through the North York Moors National Park, primarily via the Farming in Protected Landscapes Fund, and Yorkshire Water.
It also received support from Natural England, North Yorkshire Council, and other local experts.
The Environment Agency continues to remind residents and businesses in at-risk areas to sign up for free flood warnings via GOV.UK and to have a flood plan in place.
The call to action comes after a winter of high rainfall and the driest July in nearly 200 years.
Despite the project’s completion, a spokesperson said the Environment Agency remains prepared to respond to both ongoing drought and potential winter flooding events.
They also encouraged the public to take up free flood warnings and practical advice to help reduce the risk and impact of flooding on homes and businesses.