Q2 2025 - Quarterly Natural Flood Management (NFM) Update Newsletter.

Elements Green and Trent Rivers Trust have been progressing designs for the Natural Flood Management (NFM) interventions to mitigate existing flooding issues in and around the proposed Great North Road Solar and Biodiversity Park (GNR) site. We would like to thank everyone who has provided assistance to this process. Your insights and feedback have been invaluable and will help further shape the project.

Our mission:

By prioritising flood resilience alongside our renewable energy projects, we are ensuring that our presence in the region contributes positively, not just to the UK’s clean energy future, but also to the well-being of the people who call this area home.

Together, we are investing in solutions that make a real difference - today and for generations to come.

Project summary – Q2 2025

• Additional areas added – We are working with the Trent Rivers Trust (TRT) and our hydrologists to identify the most effective flood mitigation strategies for key locations in the identified Parishes. Not all of these will subsequently be suitable for NFM, although desk-based studies are underway for all.
• This brings the full list to: Maplebeck, Egmanton, Sutton-on-Trent, Carlton-on-Trent, Weston/Grassthorpe, South Muskham, Kelham, Laxton & Moorhouse and Caunton.
  • Recent consultation with local interested parties, has led to the addition of Laxton & Moorhouse and Caunton.
• Detailed design works underway - technical designs have been prepared for Maplebeck, Sutton-on-Trent, Carlton-on-Trent and Weston.
  • Opportunities for bunds and offline ponds, as well as wider restoration such as flood plain reconnection have been identified in these areas, subject to landowner engagement and agreement of relevant permissions (all take time).
  • Bunds are low earth mounds up to 1 meter (m) height, which temporarily retain water and allow this to slowly disperse. The attached example would be 30m long, with a 225 mm pipe through the centre, which will drain into the adjacent ditch following heavy rain.
    • This could store up to 120,000 litres of water, enough water for 1,500 baths (80 litre).
  • Offline storage ponds are disconnected from the watercourse and are designed to intercept and store overland flow during high periods of rainfall. Over time stored water evaporates or infiltrates through the soil. The attached example would be approximately 20 m long x 10m wide, with a maximum depth of 1m in the centre.
    • This could store up to 112,500 litres of water or 321,428.57 cups of tea (350ml).
  • Construction of a typical bund or offline pond would be 2-3 days' work for a team of 3 with an 8 - 12 tonne excavator.
• Establishing Landowner funding - TRT agricultural team have been providing assistance on the potential funding which could be available to landowners hosting NFM measures, including government subsidies for land which may be less productive.
• Code of best practice - land management is one of the most impactful elements of the NFM (Natural Flood Management) toolkit – particularly in maintaining healthy soils to encourage infiltration and reduce runoff. EG and TRT are currently drafting a short, practical guide (a few pages) that reinforces these principles from an NFM perspective. It will also serve as a signposting resource for related areas such as:
  • Soil management plans
  • Nutrient management plans
  • Livestock manure management
• EG & TRT Engagement - Ongoing engagement with Parish council members, including on-site meetings with landowners.

RSPB engagement

We have been engaging with the RSPB to highlight opportunities for ecological enhancement which go alongside the NFM measures. These include benefits to the following species:

• Ground nesting birds.
• Invertebrates.
• Amphibians.
• Wetland and farmland birds.

Contact Email: [email protected]