With 100,000 homes in Hull and the East Riding at risk of flooding our ambition is to invest in blue green infrastructure schemes to increase surface water flood resilience.
In delivering the Living with Water schemes, we aim to involve residents and communities in contributing to what the flood schemes may look like. This project is modelling a range of sustainable drainage solutions (SuDS) at Bilton Community Primary School to reduce the likelihood of flooding in the future. SuDS aim to mimic natural drainage by slowing and capturing the water flow and holding excess water during a heavy rainfall event.
Bilton Community Primary School SuDS scheme
We have been working with Bilton Community Primary School for the past two years, both through our engineers modelling the area and our research project MAGIC, to understand the flood risk in Bilton and at the school. The school has already had an outdoor classroom and pond created through the MAGIC scheme - see images below.
This enables children to learn outdoors and understand more about the area in which they live, engage with nature and the natural habitat, and plant lots of lovely wild flowers. Our scheme adds to this to enhance the outdoor learning opportunity for the children.
Our education officer visited the school to co-create our SuDS scheme with the children in Year 6. Starting with a lesson about the water cycle, children learnt more about how little water we have on our planet and how to value it, but also how, by harnessing rainwater, we can value this precious commodity and also become resilient to the flood risk in Hull.
The students were very keen to design a scheme in their school and set about creating amazing green spaces that has fed into design by our principle engineers, Stantec. These SuDS have now been installed, along with additional flood alleviation measures within the school grounds.
We installed three rainwater planters and one extra-large planter, all connected to the school’s roof water downpipes to help slow the flow. These units also serve as valuable habitats for wildlife which supports local biodiversity while offering hands-on learning opportunities for students.
In addition, we constructed a swale and enlarged the existing pond at the school, which further aids in flood resilience and provides an interactive way for students to engage with sustainable water management. Within the playground, we installed a tree pit and underground storage and collaborated with students to redesign the playground markings, creating an engaging and functional outdoor space. We also improved drainage across the site by installing new channel drains in the school car park and resurfacing the area.
The Bilton Community Primary School project has delivered several key benefits. Most importantly, flood risk in the school and the surrounding areas has been reduced. The project also enhances education by allowing students to interact with and learn about water management and the environment, fostering a deeper connection with nature.
Scheme visuals
Frequently asked questions
- What work is taking place currently in my area?
At the moment we are installing various sustainable drainage schemes in the village and more can be found in our Bilton page.
- What is surface water flooding?
Surface water flooding happens when rainwater does not drain away through the normal drainage systems or soak into the ground, but lies on or flows over the ground instead, causing potential risks of flooding to properties. (Source: GOVUK)
- Who is responsible for the scheme?
This scheme is a Living With Water scheme, meaning the parties involved in the Partnership (Yorkshire Water, Hull City Council, Environment Agency, East Riding of Yorkshire Council) are responsible for parts of or all of the works.
- Will it cost me any money?
The scheme did not cost residents any money. It is funded through the Living With Water Partnership which, in turn, has received money from the Government to put in place schemes to provide infrastructure in Hull to mitigate flooding.
- What if my school wants to be more flood resilient?
The Living with Water partners are committed to improving flood resilience across Hull and the East Riding, and have a number of education offerings available to deliver in schools. From installing SuDS, to delivering Living with Water lessons, If you work at an education establishment and would like to learn more, please get in touch at enquiries@livingwithwater.co.uk
