Bewdley Severnside North Flood Alleviation Scheme
About the Project
- Principal designer: Faber Maunsell
- Client: Environment Agency
- Principal contractor: Birse Civils Limited
- Contract value: £2.2 million
To even be aware of Bewdley's flood defences, you have to look for the stainless steel plates set into the road surface along the length of the picturesque quayside road of Severnside North.
The challenge was to design and construct a flood defence scheme that would have minimum impact on the local residents and adjacent historic structures.
When there is a risk of flooding, the demountable posts are bolted onto the permanent steel base plates. Once erected, aluminium planks fitted with rubber seals are slotted into the posts.
The demountable system is assembled quickly and easily and, for the first time ever during high river levels, once waterlogged basements have remained dry.
The judges said
"An ingenious engineering approach to problems caused by flooding, problems that many of us."