Holnicote Multi-Objective Flood Risk Management Demonstration Project

In 2009, in response to one of the recommendations of the Pitt Review of the Summer 2007 Floods, Defra commissioned three new projects as part of the Multi- Objective Flood Management Demonstration Scheme. This scheme aims to generate evidence to demonstrate how integrated land management change, working with natural processes and partnership working, can contribute to reducing local flood risk while producing wider benefits for the environment and communities

One of these multi-objective demonstration projects is the Holnicote Project being delivered by the , Penny Anderson Associates and JBA Consulting (including the JBA Trust) on the Holnicote Estate in .

Driven by Defra, supported by the Environment (e.g. changes to land use, land Agency and managed by the National Trust, management practices, and hydrological this project hopes to demonstrate that by connectivity) looking at whole catchments and strategically To assemble evidence, both from recorded targeting shifts in rural land management datasets and hydrological/hydraulic practices, sustainable support to flood modelling, about the impact of the management may be achieved. In addition, it catchment interventions on runoff and flood is recognised that through rural land dynamics management change and intervention comes the opportunity to enhance the provision of a To assess what the evidence reveals about range of other ecosystem services within the potential or actual benefits, in terms of catchments. These include landscape quality, flood risk management and the delivery of a biodiversity, carbon stewardship, water quality, range of other ecosystem services amenity and recreation. The ecosystem services assessment being The principal objectives of the Holnicote undertaken for the project aims to provide an project, which is currently scheduled to run until evaluation of the various goods and services 2015, are: provided by the existing ecosystems across the Holnicote Estate, and those anticipated To establish a robust hydrological following the range of expected habitat monitoring programme across the study modifications scheduled as part of the area catchment interventions. In addition, based on To identify potential catchment (hillslope the most robust information available, the and floodplain) interventions that may assessment will provide an evaluation of the contribute to managing flood risk value of these anticipated goods and services relative to the capital investment. To demonstrate the practical implementation of catchment interventions The National Trust is also co-funding a PhD student at Exeter University to establish whether the catchment management interventions being implemented can help to improve water quality. The research will complement the catchment-wide hydrological monitoring taking place with some additional chemical, biological and physical water quality monitoring to examine the effectiveness of the intervention measures to also meet water quality objectives. The National Trust Holnicote Estate is situated adjacent to the uplands of and comprises around 40km2 of land draining the catchments of the Aller and Horner Water from Exmoor northwards through woodland, grassland and arable areas towards .

The key flood risk receptors in the catchments Implementation of best practice in-bye are the villages of , West Lynch and grassland and associated soil Bossington. Properties in these villages are management at risk of flooding from the watercourses, Implementation of best practice arable soil which are influenced by a legacy of flow management and field-side buffer strips constrictions within the drainage networks, such as narrow historic stone bridges, and the Intervention in direct hydrological flow lack of undeveloped channel and floodplain pathways between hillslope runoff capacity through the built-up areas. generation areas and receiving arterial watercourses The catchment interventions that are under consideration at Holnicote are: Creation of flood meadows on the middle Aller floodplain upstream of Allerford Moorland restoration in the headwaters – including heather restoration, grip blocking, surface drainage management (on tracks, If you would like to find out more about the paths and roads) Holnicote Project click here for a more Woodland extension up onto the edge of detailed description of the assessment, Exmoor monitoring, intervention and modelling elements that are being undertaken. Encouragement of the development of in- channel woody debris dams

Feel free to contact any of the project partners if would like to follow up on any aspect of the research at Holnicote: Steve Rose (JBA Consulting) - [email protected] Pete Worrall (Penny Anderson Associates) - [email protected] Nigel Hester (National Trust) - [email protected]