How creating a new fen could reduce river flooding

Landowner Dr Anna Magee says she "trusts" the river Waveney to flow where it wants and "letting the land hold the water makes a lot of sense" to prevent flooding

The creation of a fen to act as a "giant sponge" could help restore a flood-prone area to its natural landscape, campaigners say.

Government experts are now examining the Waveney and Little Ouse Landscape Recovery (WALOR) scheme closely after the completion of a two-year development phase.

The proposals would see a new fenland created at the head of the River Waveney and Little Ouse to hold water that would normally flow downstream.

Parts of the River Waveney would also be allowed to follow the original channel of the watercourse - a process known as "rewiggling".

If agreed, the project would cost millions, but supporters said it had the potential to reduce the risk of flooding in the area for the next 20 years.

The path of flooding on land at Heron Meadows, near Diss follows the old channel of the River Waveney

Seventeen landowners in the Waveney Valley area have engaged with the project, which is being managed by Suffolk Wildlife Trust.

The "scale" of the plan - about 1,650 hectares, equivalent to almost 2,300 football pitches - made it different to past schemes, said Dr Daniel Wade, WALOR project manager.

Dr Anna Magee is one of the landowners involved and runs her farm, Heron Meadows, on 11 acres (4.45 ha).

On one side of Dr Magee's land, near Diss, the river Waveney was artificially straightened after World War Two, following the county boundary.

When the water table was high, the land flooded on the opposite side to the river, where it had previously meandered. It follows its former channel and under the scheme the river would be engineered with bunds to encourage a permanent rewiggle.

The flooding which follows the old river channel creates a "fantastic wildlife corridor with otters and migrating birds", according to landowner Dr Magee

Dr Magee says the river "speaks for itself" and "this is where it wants to go".

"Every winter it does this, it creeps along through the wood and floods and then along to the road and on the fen and to Roydon," she says.

"I love to see the water coming and I trust it. It is a fantastic wildlife corridor."

She said that if the river followed its natural path, the wiggle and kinks would slow the flow downstream, reducing the likelihood of flooding.

"Letting the land hold the water up here makes a lot of sense," she added.

"We are going to get more flooding and we are going to need this capacity - the meadow knows how to do that - if we give it the conditions to hold the water back here."

Christine Mackenzie and Derek Clarke have both experienced flooding in the village of Brockdish in Suffolk

The towns of Diss, Bungay, Thetford and Beccles - and the villages of Needham Mill, Brockdish and Homersfield - have all experienced varying degrees of flooding because of the River Waveney and Little Ouse.

Both the resilience forums for Suffolk and Norfolk say around 55,000 homes are at risk of flooding, though many will be from the sea, flooding from rivers remains a threat to thousand of properties, roads and businesses.

They also state that "as result of climate change, both the chances and consequences of flooding are likely to increase".

This is something Christine Mackenzie, chair of Brockdish Parish Council, recognises.

In 2020, more than 20 houses were flooded by the River Waveney in the village, Mrs MacKenzie said.

"I have been living here for 30 years and we've never seen flooding like we have seen over the last five or six years," she added.

"People have moved into the village, not thinking they are going to be flooded, then suddenly they find out it is a possibility."

Retired town planner Derek Clarke moved to Brockdish 11 years ago and was "surprised" when his house flooded in 2020.

It happened at night - and Mr Clarke said they were "not prepared", with the event causing "a lot of panic".

Adrian Ramsay, the Green MP for Waveney Valley, wants to see the WALOR project funded and taken to the next stage

The Green Party MP for Waveney Valley, Adrian Ramsay, is backing the WALOR project and has written to Daniel Zeichner, minister at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) asking him to provide "adequate funding" to take the project into "the delivery phase".

"This is a really innovative project because it's using natural methods to reduce flood risks," Mr Ramsay said.

"It'll have a very real impact of reducing flood risks on a number of villages and towns on and around the Waveney.

"It's also good for nature and tackling climate change and importantly it's good for farmers. It'll be paying farmers for the impact of flooding on the land rather than them suffering the effect later."

Dr Daniel Wade says a new fen would act as a "giant sponge", preventing water rushing downstream and therefore reducing flood risks

Some of the parcels of land being considered for the project have become floodplains but was made productive for farming with "historic networks of drainage ditches", said Dr Wade.

But it no longer makes money for the farmers.

The scheme would look at how to compensate them to allow their land to be returned to fenland with some reed bedding.

Dr Wade explained that as fenland, it "can absorb more water into the ground, meaning less water moving downstream and at a slower pace, reducing the risks of flooding through the catchment."

There are also other benefits of fenland habitats: the peaty soil captures carbon, the reed beds provide natural water cleaning - and they also increase the biodiversity and wildlife in the area.

These benefits could bring in private investment too, such as firms paying the landowners to offset their carbon.

All options - and the funding required to get the project started - are currently being reviewed by Defra and a outcome is expected within the next six months.