Lyn
Fraley - 20-Oct-2006 - Environment Agency Chairman,
Sir John Harman, will arrive in Nottingham on
Wednesday, 25 October 2006 to visit The OZONE,
Britain’s first Zero Carbon Community Project,
view progress on Nottingham’s £14 million
West Bridgford flood scheme and address the Rural
Affairs Forum at Melton Mowbray.
Sir John Harman says of his
visit: "Its our job to help the country plan
for and protect itself from a future of climatic
uncertainty. On my visit to the West Bridgford
Flood Alleviation Scheme I hope to see our progress
in protecting 5,600 properties from flooding.
The improvements we have made to the flood defences
in West Bridgford are part of a wider scheme of
work, which will support the OZONE project in
the Meadows area of Nottingham.
I will be interested to see
the plans for the Meadows area to be regenerated
into an energy efficient, environmentally friendly,
zero-carbon community. The plans for new parks,
sports and leisure facilities as well as a water
taxi service will work towards our common goal
of tackling climate change in local communities."
We will support the OZONE project
with the Nottingham Left Bank Flood Alleviation
Scheme. We will also provide advice on issues
around green space and waterways to maximise the
benefits for regeneration, recreation and wildlife.
The day will begin with a visit
to the Rural Affairs Forum at Melton Mowbray,
where the Chairman will speak to the Forum about
rural land management and the role of the Environment
Agency.
This will be followed by a site
visit to the Environment Agency’s £14 million
West Bridgford flood alleviation scheme. Work
is already well underway to raise or realign flood
embankments and build new floodwalls and it is
due to be finished by the end of 2007. The Chairman
will discuss progress on the scheme with the contractors
and members of the project team.
From there he will travel to
The Meadows, where he will see plans for The OZONE,
Britain’s first zero-carbon community, and hear
how Nottingham will take up his July challenge
to become a Low Carbon City.
The OZONE is a unique £40
million plan to re-shape the Meadows area of Nottingham.
A proposal has been submitted to Living Landmarks
Big Lottery Fund for £25 million and the
Environment Agency will fund new flood defences,
which are part of the scheme, at a cost of £5
million.
A prime example of sustainable
development, The OZONE will revitalise The Meadows
and the River Trent embankment, and generate new
jobs and training opportunities for local people.
It incorporates the use of renewable energy techniques
that will act as inspiration for other communities
across the country.
Area Manager for Lower Trent,
Toby Willison, says: "Nottingham is a dynamic
and creative city with great plans for the future.
Our new flood defences are central to its success
and I look forward to showing Sir John Harman
what we and our partners are achieving here for
Nottingham and its people."
Cllr Leon Unczur, Nottingham
City Council’s Project Champion for The OZONE
added; "The OZONE is an exciting, community-centred
project which is geared around regenerating communities,
making them more sustainable and better places
to live, work and play. The Environment Agency
has been a key partner in the development of the
bid so far and we will continue to work closely
to make the best of this opportunity, given to
us by the Big Lottery Fund to make our OZONE vision
a reality."
Notes to Editor
There are two photo/filming
opportunities on 25 October 2006 in Nottingham:
14.45hrs – 15.30hrs: West Bridgford
Flood Alleviation Scheme, West Bridgford Suspension
Bridge.
15.40hrs – 17.00hrs: Nottingham OZONE, Queens
Walk Community Centre, The Meadows, Nottingham.
Photos of Sir John Harman’s meeting with the Rural
Affairs Forum and a copy of his speech will also
be available by e-mail on request from Lyn Fraley
on 0121 711 5829.
Nottingham O Zone
More details on Nottingham O
Zone can be found at: http://www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk/sitemap/living_landmarks
The Environment Agency is supporting
the partnership’s drive and enthusiasm to secure
the £25m Living Landmark’s Big Lottery Funding
that will make a real difference to this part
of Nottingham.
Where possible, we will support
the project through the Nottingham Left Bank Flood
Alleviation Scheme and through advice on issues
around green space and waterways to maximise the
benefits for regeneration, recreation and wildlife.
We will also encourage Nottingham
City Council to do as much as possible to reduce
the carbon footprint of the city and demonstrate
a real lead for the rest of the country.
During his visit, the Chairman
will meet partner organisations at Queens Walk
Community Centre, The Meadows, Nottingham. After
watching a DVD made by a local school on the potential
for the Meadows area of Nottingham, he will hear
a presentation about the Nottingham OZONE project
by people involved in the bid development.
There will then be an opportunity
for the Chairman to talk to representatives of
the local community about their hopes for the
project and issues that they face in the community.
He will also be able to ask specific questions
on how the Nottingham O Zone project will help
local people.
To conclude the visit, Nottingham
City Council will deliver a short presentation
on how they are taking up the Chairman’s challenge
to make Nottingham a Low Carbon City, following
the Chairman’s meeting with representatives from
the city in July 2006.
West Bridgford Flood Alleviation
Scheme
The River Trent through Nottingham
has a long history of flooding and its floodplain
contains the highest number of properties at risk
of river flooding in the UK. Following significant
flooding in March 1947, comprehensive flood defences
were built along more than 30km of the Trent to
protect the city. They prevented significant flooding
during the 1960 and 2000 floods but some of them
are approaching the end of their design life.
A major Environment Agency flood
study, the Fluvial Trent Strategy, concluded that
in West Bridgford, raising and improving the existing
flood defences was the only environmentally and
economically acceptable solution to the flood
risk.
Work began in February 2006
on our new £15 million West Bridgford Flood
Alleviation Scheme, stretching 3.2 kilometres
from the old toll bridge at Wilford to Adbolton.
When complete, it will protect over 5,600 homes
and businesses in West Bridgford from a flood
with a 1% chance of happening in any year.
We are raising or realigning
flood embankments using local and imported material,
building new or raising existing flood walls through
private gardens, and diverting a 33kV electric
cable. We will also improve the riverside landscape
and work in partnership with Nottingham City and
Nottingham County Council to promote sustainable
regeneration, including the redevelopment of two
schools as part of the Gresham Park Development.
Work on the flood defence at West Bridgford should
be finished by the end of 2007.
During his site visit, the Chairman
will discuss progress on the flood defences with
the contractors and Flood Management Engineer,
Andy Pendleton.
