Working in Partnership to Reduce Flood Risk and Restore the River Deben

Natural flood management projects near Debenham demonstrate how working with landowners and local partners can help communities become more resilient to flooding while delivering benefits for rivers and wildlife.

Following the devastating flooding caused by Storm Babet in 2023, partners across the River Deben catchment have been working together to identify practical ways to reduce flood risk and improve the health of the river.

Two new natural flood management schemes at Crows Hall and Elm Farm, just upstream of Debenham, have now been completed. These projects demonstrate the value of partnership working and taking a nature-based approach to managing water across the landscape.

Essex and Suffolk Rivers Trust (ESRT) has been involved through its wider work to improve the health and resilience of the River Deben catchment, bringing together organisations and communities to support a healthier river from source to sea.

Working With Nature to Reduce Flooding

The schemes at Crows Hall and Elm Farm have received £122,219 in funding from the Anglian Eastern Regional Flood and Coastal Committee’s Local Levy, with initial designs supported by Defra’s Water Environment Improvement Funding. Suffolk County Council, acting as Lead Local Flood Authority, secured funding and oversaw the projects.

The measures are designed to intercept and slow surface water flows that would otherwise contribute to flooding in Debenham during periods of heavy rainfall. They include deliberately leaky debris dams and water attenuation features, which help hold water back and release it more gradually through the landscape.

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  A leaky dam installed at Crows Hall

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  An attenuation area at Elm Farm

Left: A leaky dam installed at Crows Hall. Right: An attenuation area at Elm Farm.

While no individual scheme can eliminate flood risk entirely, these measures can help reduce the risk to people and property, complementing other existing and planned flood resilience projects in the area.

Natural flood management also offers wider environmental benefits. By slowing the movement of water through the landscape, these approaches can support river habitats, improve water quality and help the catchment become more resilient to both floods and droughts.

ESRT’s Role in a Healthier and More Resilient Deben

These projects complement Recovering the Deben from Source to Sea, an initiative of the East Suffolk Catchment Partnership, hosted by Essex and Suffolk Rivers Trust.

Through this programme, ESRT works with partners to improve the health of the River Deben along its length, supporting measures such as restoring natural riverbanks and reconnecting habitats for wildlife.

Natural flood management is an important part of this wider catchment approach. Improving how water moves through the landscape can help address flood risk while contributing to the long-term recovery of the river and its surrounding habitats.

By working collaboratively with landowners, local authorities, statutory organisations and other environmental partners, ESRT helps support a joined-up approach to river restoration. This recognises that the challenges facing rivers cannot be tackled in isolation and that action across the whole catchment is needed to deliver lasting benefits.

Partnership Working Makes the Difference

The Crows Hall and Elm Farm projects have been made possible through collaboration between Suffolk County Council, the East Suffolk Water Management Board, the Environment Agency, Essex and Suffolk Rivers Trust, Sustainable Water Solutions, the Water Management Alliance and private landowners involved in the Upper Deben Farm Cluster.

Landowners are central to this work, helping identify suitable locations where nature-based measures can be introduced to slow water flows and improve river resilience. Their willingness to work with project partners demonstrates the important role that land management can play in addressing catchment-wide challenges.

The schemes also build on work undertaken following Storm Babet, including Suffolk County Council’s flood investigation reports, which have helped identify further opportunities for natural flood management across the county.

For ESRT, this collaborative approach is central to protecting and restoring rivers. By connecting people, expertise and practical action across the catchment, we can help deliver solutions that benefit communities, wildlife and the wider environment.

ESRT Director Discusses Natural Flood Management on BBC Radio Suffolk

ESRT Director Helen Dangerfield has spoken to BBC Radio Suffolk about the projects and the role of natural flood management in reducing flood risk and supporting a healthier River Deben.

Helen highlighted the importance of working with natural processes to slow water flows, while also delivering benefits for wildlife, water quality and the river’s resilience to a changing climate.

Listen to Helen’s interview on BBC Radio Suffolk: BBC Sounds – listen to the interview.

Looking Ahead

The completion of the Crows Hall and Elm Farm schemes is an encouraging example of what can be achieved when landowners and organisations work together towards shared goals.

Although further action is needed to improve flood resilience across the Deben catchment, projects like these demonstrate how nature-based solutions can form part of a wider response to flooding, alongside other flood management measures.

Through Recovering the Deben from Source to Sea and its wider catchment partnership work, Essex and Suffolk Rivers Trust will continue to support collaborative action to restore rivers, improve habitats and build resilience for future generations.

Learn More

• Listen to an interview with Helen Dangerfield on BBC Radio Suffolk (2:39:30)

• Read about Recovering the Deben from Source to Sea