January 2025 Update
Current status summary
The EA are currently discussing various options for flood risk management in the area, with the aim of finalising options around April 2025, with Valley Parkway, Weoley Hill Park and Manor Farm Park still being considered as possible sites for temporary storage of water during flooding. Focus group meetings are being used to discuss these options with community representatives and other stakeholders. Further modelling will soon allow the EA to look at the potential impact of various options under consideration
Environment Agency Focus Group Meetings
Since September 2024, the Environment Agency (EA) has held two Focus Group Meetings, with an invited list of attendees and an independent chair.
First Focus Group: 4 October 2024
Mari Patel attended on behalf of the Weoley Hill Park Action Group, along with representatives from several other community groups, Birmingham City Council, Severn Trent and other stakeholders. Concerns were raised that not all relevant parties had been invited, in particular the Valley Parkway group. It was a well-chaired meeting, and everyone was able to make their views heard. The EA apologised repeatedly for the way that they had presented their initial proposals in Spring 2024, acknowledging that this had raised serious concerns in the community, and stated that the plans shared were only illustrations of what could be done. They stated that no flood risk management options would be implemented unless they were ‘technically feasible, economically viable and socially acceptable’, and that the ‘high concrete dams in the local parks would not be happening’.
The EA’s draft Flood Risk Appraisal document was then discussed, and attendees were invited to submit written feedback on the document.
It was made clear at this meeting that the EA can only address fluvial flooding (i.e., that from rivers), although they did agree to work as closely as possible with other partners such as Birmingham City Council and Seven Trent. Attendees stressed that much of the flooding in the area is due to surface water, and that addressing fluvial flooding alone will not necessarily have a significant impact on local flooding problems.
Second EA Focus Group – 18 November 2024
Following the objections raised regarding missing key representatives at the first meeting, a number of new groups were invited to the second meeting. In addition, the EA agreed to a request to invite a resident ‘expert’ to represent the interests of all three parks in terms of their technical expertise and ability to fully understand the EA’s modelling and potential proposals. The latest version of the Bourn Flood Risk Appraisal Report was first discussed - many but not all of the suggested changes had been included, but the document was significantly improved, including recognising that flooding is often a combination of factors including blocked surface water gulleys and inadequate drains. The EA then presented their draft Options Report which listed14 possible approaches to flood risk management in the area, many of which they had already discounted, leaving only four options:
· creation of flood storage areas along the Bourn and/or its tributaries, with the three most suitable locations still being the three parks (Manor Farm Park, Weoley Hill and Valley Parkway);
· a combination of storage areas and nature-based solutions such as broadening and rerouting the brooks or creating water meadows;
· ‘do minimum’, i.e., continue with the current situation of maintenance and reactive clearance of blockages at key structures;
· individual property flood resilience, i.e., measures such as installation of flood doors for specific properties at risk.
The EA reiterated their assurances that nothing would be on the scale of the ‘dams’ they initially presented, which they continued to say was just an ‘example’ of what could be done and apologised again for the inappropriate way in which the plans had been shared. Rejected options included underground storage tanks, temporary defences, ‘managed retreat’ (i.e., long-term planning to rehouse affected homes), and SuDS (sustainable drainage measures). Attendees were asked to comment on the pros and cons of each shortlisted option and give an indication of overall acceptability. It was argued that other combinations of measures, including those not shortlisted, could be appropriate, and that it was difficult to make any decisions on preferred options without having any quantifiable data.
Detailed meeting notes for both Focus Group Meetings can be found here:
Focus Group #1 Summary Meeting Notes
Focus Group #2 Summary Meeting Notes
Latest developments
Further feedback on the second draft of the Flood Risk Appraisal document and the first draft of the Management Options document has been submitted by various groups.
The EA updated its website on 19 December and it now has a link to the final version of the Flood Risk Appraisal Report. You can access it at: Bourn Flood Risk Management Scheme - Environment Agency - Citizen Space. Unfortunately, not all suggested changes were included. An updated version of the EA Engagement Plan has also been published on their website; this makes no mention of public meetings which have been repeatedly requested by local groups.
A visit to local flood risk management schemes has been organised for Focus Group representatives in early February 2025, and a further Focus Group meeting, which will go into more detail on the potential Options and the Options Appraisal report will take place around March.
Technical reports
Some detailed technical information has been shared with our technical experts – they are currently reviewing this information and will provide an update in due course.
Meetings with Laurence Turner, MP
Representatives of our group have met with Laurence Turner on two occasions. Laurence acknowledged that the recent flooding in Stirchley was caused by surface water and not the Bourn and acknowledged the need for a unified solution that reduces the risks caused by surface water/drainage. He also explained that the company contracted to maintain the drains, etc., was not performing to expectations and that he will be discussing this with the Minister for Transport (the funding for the upkeep of the roads, including leaf clearance/drains, is jointly funded between central Government and BCC). He also expressed the desire to attend the next focus group meeting – this was suggested to the EA, but they prefer to meet with local MPs and Councillors separately to keep them informed of the status of the project.
Updated 21 May 2024
The Environment Agency have released the following regarding the planned exploratory works:
We know the devastating impact that flooding can have to people and communities.
With anticipated climate change impacts and a rising urban population, we are likely to see an increase in both the likelihood and impact of flooding in the future which is why we are exploring options to help better protect communities at risk of flooding in the Bournville and Stirchley areas of Birmingham.
We are equally committed to working with those who live and work within these communities, whether personally at risk of flooding or where there is potential to be impacted by possible future options to reduce flood risk to others. We have heard and understood the concerns of some residents and groups in relation to the Bourn Flood Risk Management Scheme. We are at a very early stage in this process and, while options are being explored, no decisions have been made. We want to ensure that any future decisions are properly informed by the community and as such we have paused all ground investigations within the parks, which were due to commence at Weoley Park on the 23 May.
We remain fully committed to ongoing meaningful engagement with all those who could be affected by any potential scheme and we hope this helps to allay some of the concerns of the community. We will publish an options appraisal report as well as an engagement plan in the coming months clearly highlighting where we are within the project and what the options look like going forward. We will work with the community to decide on the best way forward together.
Bournville Village Trust took the opportunity to post the following on their Facebook page:
Today we’ve met with the Environment Agency to discuss the notice that was served for exploratory works planned at Weoley Park, Manor Park and Valley Parkway in Birmingham, on 23rd May. The EA have told us that following a review, and our legal challenge, these works have now been paused and won’t take place this week. The EA are working on a new plan for consultation and engagement with residents and local organisations/groups, and as a result no works will take place until further notice. We’re working on updating the FAQs and info on our website and this will be live shortly.
Updated 4 May 2024
It has been a while since we last updated local residents, however, please be assured that several meetings have been held in the background (with residents who expressed an interest in being involved in a core group driving opposition to the plans). As a result, the following actions (among others) have taken place:
Media coverage - some of you will have seen the item on BBC Midlands Today on 21 March. We hope that this item helped to spread the word more widely regarding the Environment Agency (EA) proposals of our parks.
Banners have been produced and put up in Weoley Hill Park in an effort to draw attention to our cause.
On 20 March, representatives of the EA attended a walkthrough of Weoley Hill Park with the core group. Questions were submitted to the EA in advance of the meeting, but these were not answered until 4 April. The responses were unsatisfactory and contradictory – we will be taking this up with the EA very soon.
A letter was written by local scientists and sent to the EA on 29 March, copying in senior executives at the EA. One of the main points was that, from the scientists’ “own very recent measurements that the volume flow rate from the Wood Brook is approximately 1% of that flowing along the Rea before it enters Stirchley or Digbeth” and thus, “under conditions of heavy rainfall, Wood Brook will contribute a negligible amount to flooding of any of the areas at risk”. A reply was received on 29 April. Again, the responses were unsatisfactory and contradictory, and we will be writing to the EA to try again to get answers to the points and queries raised.
Representatives for Manor Farm Park, Valley Parkway and Weoley Hill Park met with West Midlands Mayor, Andy Street, at Manor Farm Park on 20 April – where the plans for all three parks were discussed. As a result, Andy Street sent a letter of objection to the EA on 22 April, describing the plans as “wholly inappropriate”, and is seeking a meeting with senior executives.
We are in regular contact with BVT and hope that they will be issuing further details regarding their position soon.
Representatives of all three parks are in contact with each other and intend to meet to coordinate future action.
Exploratory works by the EA were expected to begin in March but were postponed until immediately after the Easter break, starting at Manor Farm Park, then moving to Valley Parkway, and then on to Weoley Hill Park, taking approximately 3 weeks at each site. However, to date we are not aware of any proposed start dates and BVT have not received any application for Weoley Hill Park.
There is still no clarity on where the residential properties and businesses are that these three schemes are intended to protect. The EA will not provide details further than saying that they are in Bournville and Stirchley.
Updated 27 February 2024
Bournville Village Trust have published a statement regarding the proposed flood management scheme.
Bournville Village Trust (BVT), resident reps from our Estates Committee, reps from Weoley Hill and Bournville Village Councils, and a rep from Bournville Freeholders and Leaseholders Association (BFLA), have met with the Environment Agency and we will continue to meet with them to discuss their flood risk management plan proposals and concepts, which are in the very early days of informal consultation.
The Environment Agency recognise that further engagement is necessary to address the concerns raised by residents and BVT. BVT has not approved or made any decision in relation to the proposals, including any exploratory works and are working with the Environment Agency to ensure that, if work does go ahead, all plans are in keeping with both the Scheme of Management and the Bournville Design Guide. Any exploratory works would also be carefully considered and BVT has made it clear that these cannot proceed without BVT’s consent.
We are part of the informal consultation process alongside the wider community and are keen to work with the Environment Agency to ensure all residents’ voices are heard. We will continue to work with resident reps, both Weoley Hill and Bournville Village Councils and the BFLA to support this and have requested that the Environment Agency hold further public consultation meetings with the community.
We will share details of these meetings once they are available, and we will also be sharing further information here on our website. In the meantime, anyone who has any questions for BVT, can email our dedicated email address bournfrm@bvt.org.uk or call 0300 333 6540.
This statement is also available on their website.
Updated 26 February 2024
Following the residents’ meeting on 21 February 2024, resident representatives attended a meeting with BVT and the Environment Agency at the BVT Offices on Friday 23 February.
The Environment Agency agreed to review their website and will be publishing an updated version in the next two weeks. It is hoped that the new version of the website will provide more clarity on the project. We will request a public meeting with the Environment Agency once the new website is published.
BVT intend to publish a statement regarding this proposed project on their website and via social media imminently. This will include a dedicated e-mail address.
We strongly encourage residents with any comments or questions to directly contact both BVT and the Environment Agency directly.
Minutes of the residents’ meeting will follow shortly. In the meantime, the slides presented that evening can be viewed above.
You'll need Acrobat Reader to view them.
Thanks to everyone who attended the first (of many!) residents meeting on Wednesday 21 February 2024. We were totally blown away by the amount of residents who attended and were really sorry for those who were unable to enter the hall. Fire regulations dictate the number of people allowed in at any time and we had reached maximum capacity.
Published 11 February 2024
The Environment Agency is proposing substantial works in our area, affecting Weoley Hill Park, Valley Parkway (model yachting pool area) and Manor Farm Park. For Weoley Hill Park, their preferred option is the construction of a 350-metre long, u-shaped embankment (max. height 3 m (10 ft), with a 0.5-m high wall on the top).
This will take over the vast majority of the park with the loss of a number of mature trees, and potentially blocking access from the Bristol Road end.
The purpose of the mound is to hold in flood water, held back from flowing downstream to the Rea Valley, where a 10,000-home development is proposed (Rea Valley Urban Quarter).
Details of this project are available on the Environmental Agency website - click here
substantial loss of local parkland and wildlife
potential increased flood risk to the properties bordering the park
we will potentially be used as the area of choice for future flooding events to save flooding commercial and housing areas further downstream
potential reduction in house values and a potential impact on saleability
replacement of park view with views of high reservoir mounds topped with a wall
potential increase in insurance costs/or a loss of the ability to insure
lack of communication with directly affected residents
loss of privacy to rear gardens
In the next few weeks, exploratory work is planned, which will include temporary twin tram lines for the movement of equipment, and the digging of investigatory bore holes. It is understood that this work will be noisy and disruptive.