Green Roof flood scheme

Work has finished on a new Green Roof on the Mytholmroyd Flood Warden Storage Container at The Shoulder of Mutton Pub on New Road.

Supported by a grant from Slow The Flow Calderdale and as part of a wider initiative by Slow The Flow Calderdale to promote local Natural Flood Management schemes in Calderdale, volunteer flood wardens in Mytholmroyd spent three weekends developing the project to act as temporary storage for rain water falling on the roof of the container, which stores their supplies of equipment for use in a flood event.

Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) mimic the natural cycle of water management, by retaining water where it lands (instead of shedding it quickly to drains and watercourses, which can lead to floods).

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SuDS reduce rainwater runoff from a given site, filter it to improve water quality, and slow its journey downstream. They can also provide additional Green Infrastructure benefits, including improving biodiversity, mental health, and property values.

The new green roof will feature as a case study on the ‘You Can Slow The Flow’ web pages, a public resource full of ideas about how Calderdale residents can join in to prevent flooding.

Calderdale Council Cabinet Member for Climate Change and the Environment, Scott Patient Archer, said of the scheme: “By showing the benefits of SuDS through this brilliant example of a green roof at the Shoulder of Mutton pub in Mytholmroyd, Slow The Flow and local Flood Wardens are hoping to inspire others to come down and take a closer look, and to develop their own schemes.

“Although this project took many hands and hours to create, individuals and local groups will be able to take inspiration for their own water retention projects.”

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Scott added: “Although Mytholmroyd is nearing completion of its Environment Agency (EA) Flood alleviation scheme, we cannot be complacent and rely on hard engineering alone – we need every trick in the book.

“Natural Flood Management (NFM) projects like tree planting and building leaky dams are so important in the longer term. This green roof is a great example of what can be done on a smaller scale and by individuals.”

Scott was involved with a dozen other members of the Mytholmroyd Flood Wardens in creating this unique green roof and serves as an excellent example of how simple natural methods can combine with hard engineering to reduce local flood risk in a community.

Owen O’Brien-Sullivan, the landlord at The Shoulder Of Mutton, said: “We are very happy to have the flood container in our car park to serve the community in Mytholmroyd.

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“The sustainable drainage scheme now on the roof is ideal for attenuating water falling on the roof and also at disguising an otherwise unsightly industrial container. We are delighted to be able to support the community with this scheme and we hope others will utilise some of the ‘You Can Slow The Flow’ ideas in their own gardens and at home.”

Adrian Horton from Slow The Flow Calderdale commented: “It is small and simple schemes like this which collectively help to reduce rain runoff and flood risk in our communities. The wonderful Mytholmroyd Flood Wardens worked tirelessly on this project and is another example of how a small community like Mytholmroyd can make a significant difference in the quest to reduce flood risk”

For more information on how communities can improve their environment using SuDS schemes and to reduce the local risk of flooding, visit http://slowtheflow.net/you-can-slow- the-flow/.

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