Flood Alleviation Scheme November 2017 Public Drop-in Session We will be holding a public drop-in session at the Bedford Square Community Centre in Houghton Regis on Wednesday 13 December 2017 from 4pm to 8pm. Please come along if you would like to find out more about our proposed flood alleviation scheme. Reducing flooding in At times of heavy rainfall, areas of Luton are known to experience flooding. There are many records of flooding from the River Lee and its tributaries, in particular where the Houghton Brook joins the River Lee around Toddington Road. To reduce the flood risk from the rivers in Luton we are planning to build a flood storage area (FSA) on the Houghton Brook at Houghton Regis. The proposed site of the FSA is adjacent to the M1 motorway on the site of a major new development in Houghton Regis.

Map to illustrate location of the FSA in Houghton Regis What is a flood storage area? A flood storage area is designed to fill with and hold water at times of heavy rainfall, when river levels are high, and to allow water to drain away slowly into the Houghton Brook as river levels reduce. The FSA would consist of an earth embankment to hold back water, and a structure to control the flow rate out of the FSA. By controlling the flow, water is stored upstream to prevent flooding downstream in Luton. We have also allowed for space in the FSA for some surface water runoff from the surrounding area. This is water that collects during heavy rainfall on impermeable surfaces. The FSA is planned to reduce the flood risk to over 500 properties downstream in Luton.

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How will the scheme affect you? The FSA will form part of the green infrastructure between Houghton Regis and the new development. The Houghton Brook will be an attractive green corridor with public open space and recreational areas, creating a better place for people and wildlife. Occasionally, when there is water in the storage area, this will form quite a large water body. This will naturally and safely drain away into the Houghton Brook. We will realign and re-naturalise the Houghton Brook to improve the wildlife and amenity value of the river corridor. We will need to divert the cycleway around the FSA to accommodate the embankment, however this will be fully re-instated once the works are complete. Access to the cycleway will be maintained through the construction phase wherever possible. The construction phase will cause some disruption to the local area, however we will make every attempt to keep this to a minimum. What happens next? We will be engaging with residents in Luton who will benefit from the scheme throughout 2018, to offer them a chance to learn more about their flood risk. We are in discussions with Central Council (CBC) and intend to submit our planning application before the end of the year. We are aware of the wider Houghton Regis North development proposals and we are working with the developer to make sure that our schemes align. If we are successful in our planning application, this will enable us to begin construction in summer 2018. The construction works for the flood storage area are expected to last six months.

Funding From 2015 to 2021 the Environment Agency is working to reduce the risk of flooding from rivers, the sea, groundwater and surface water for at least 300,000 homes. The scheme has received Grant In Aid funding of £4million, together with a contribution of £230k from Luton Borough Council. To find out more If you have any questions or comments, please come along to our public drop-in session, or alternatively please contact us at: • [email protected] • The Houghton Regis FSA: Environment Agency, Alchemy Offices, Bessemer Road, , Herts, AL7 1HE

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