Plans will feature the best practice Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) that intercept and manage rainwater through enhanced natural drainage.
A new development at Wisloe will be required to match what's termed as existing 'greenfield runoff rates', which looks at the amount of water that flows from the site when it rains. We are exploring how our plans could reduce this rate to decrease the flood risk for neighbouring homes and businesses and help increase the area's resilience to climate change.
Our masterplan report explains how this could be achieved. Permeable pavements, rain gardens – small depressions full of plants that can withstand being occasionally inundated with water - and tree pits will all store water and allow it to soak into the ground. These features will be fully integrated into the design to provide a natural and attractive solution.
New ponds will also be established to hold water but also provide a home for wildlife and plants and become an attractive part of the landscape.
We are aware of flooding that happened locally during winter 2020/21. We are liaising with partners in the area to gain a better understanding of this flooding and why it happened.
According to the Environment Agency, the majority of the Wisloe site has a “low probability” (Flood Zone 1) of flooding. There are parts near the River Cam at the northern boundary that lay within Flood Zone 2 and 3 and so have a higher probability of flooding.
The Environment Agency's “Flood Risk from Surface Water” indicates that the majority of the site lies within a “Very Low” risk area.
These Environment Agency descriptions are a starting point, and we recognise that we must look at this more closely.
As we learn more about the flooding that occurred last winter and our plans for a new community at Wisloe progress, we will provide more detail on exactly how the project team will protect against flooding in the new development at Wisloe and for people who already live in the area. Please get in touch if you think you can help us understand this issue better.
We have an opportunity to create a new sustainable community at Wisloe that benefits local communities and provides the homes the area needs in the right way. We are excited to share our masterplan which shows what a new community could look like and shares the technical work we've been conducting.
We've prepared summaries to help everyone understand what's in the report. Find out more about the masterplan report and browse the summaries.
If you have any question please contact wisloe@social.co.uk or 0330 107 0535.