Wealdstone Rain Ready Neighbourhood Project
Welcome to the Wealdstone Rain Ready Neighbourhood engagement page.
Our engagement on the first phase of the Wealdstone Rain Ready Neighbourhood project will run until the end of 2024.
In October 2024 we undertook a survey which was advertised by a letter drop and door knocking on the properties of Belmont Road, Avondale Road and Talbot Road. We have summarised the findings of the first phase of the project and the next steps in the engagement feedback report.
Introduction
The ‘Wealdstone: Rain Ready Neighbourhood’ project is a pilot project that aims to reduce surface water runoff and flood risk and improve the quality of life for residents by transforming driveways and front gardens into permeable landscaped spaces.
The permeable landscaping will be supplemented by diverting homeowners’ roof and gutter drainage into newly installed underground pipes and storage tanks to safely store the rainwater coming from properties before it enters surface water sewers. This will help manage surface water runoff during heavy rainfall.
The team are engaging residents on targeted streets in Wealdstone to understand levels of interest in participating in this pilot project.
Problem
Wealdstone is located in an area that is susceptible to surface water flooding, where several roads and properties are deemed at medium-high risk. The flood maps show the extent of the issue, with many homes and businesses vulnerable to flash flooding during heavy and prolonged rainfall.
The dark blue areas shown on the map shows a predicted high risk of surface water flooding (1 in 30-year event) and the light blue areas show a medium risk of surface water flooding (1 in 100-year event).
There have been incidents of surface water flooding and the images below show the flooding residents in Belmont Road experienced in 2016 and 2021.
Flooding in Belmont Road in 2016 (left) and 2021 (right).
This localised flooding is causing damages to property, business, the environment, and infrastructure, affecting residents, the local economy and business continuity. Road runoff pollution is also posing public and environmental health risks and is leading to poor water quality of the Wealdstone Brook and adjoining watercourses.
The causes of this issue include:
- Heavy rainfall events
- Climate change
- Increased impermeability due to urbanisation and increasing hard surfaces (such as roads, pavements, buildings and driveways)
- Inadequate drainage infrastructure
Project Proposals
The project will focus on the following roads in Wealdstone:
- Belmont Road
- Avondale Road
- Talbot Road
We are asking for homeowners permission to remove existing hard paving and other impermeable surfaces to create more space for greenery and permeable surfaces. This will help to:
- Increase surface water infiltration potential
- Reduce surface water runoff
- Give your garden kerb appeal
By obtaining external funding for the project, we would like to install permeable surfaces like gravel, grass grid or permeable block paving with a drainage channel that will allow water to pass through. Outline technical drawings and further details are shown in the visualisations - see documents on the right of the webpage.
Impermeable vs permeable rain ready drivewayBenefits
The benefits of participating in the project include:
Benefits | How |
Reduced flood risk | By transforming driveways and front gardens into permeable surfaces and allowing rainwater to soak into the ground rather than running off into drains. Improved storage will mean less water is running over the ground. |
Better water quality | Permeable surfaces can help filter out pollutants and sediments from surface water runoff, making our local waterways cleaner and healthier for wildlife. This also means reduced pollution in our rivers and seas. |
A new landscaped front garden with car parking space | Enjoy a beautiful and functional outdoor space that will store water and slow the flow and help to reduce flood risk. |
Improved local infrastructure and neighbourhood appearance | By incorporating permeable surfaces into the design of our streets and gardens, we can create more attractive and functional spaces that benefit everyone in the community. |
Improved quality of life | With reduced flood risk and improved drainage, residents will enjoy a better quality of life with reduced disruption potential from flooding events. |
Comply with legal and environmental responsibilities | Homeowners have legal obligations under the 1980 Highways Act regarding water runoff and this project will ensure homeowners comply with these. The legislation states that people who own or occupy property next to a public highway must take steps to manage water runoff i.e. they need to install and maintain things like gutters or pipes to prevent water from their property flowing onto the footway of the highway. |
The Process
We will be working closely with residents, engineers, and contractors to consult, design and implement the pilot project.
Here's an overview of the planned process:
- Consultation: We will consult with residents on Belmont Road, Avondale Road, and Talbot Road. Residents must first complete a survey to indicate their interest in participating in the project. All who have received a letter are welcome to attend a drop-in session or chat to us when we knock on doors.
- Design: Our team will design the drainage, storage and permeable surfaces and homeowners who have registered an interest will be presented with ideas for their front gardens. We will collate feedback on the designs and also discuss needs and preferences.
- Installation: We will work with trusted contractors to install the necessary underground pipes and storage tanks and new permeable landscaping on private land to manage surface water runoff.
- Maintenance: We will issue homeowners with maintenance guidance to ensure the permeable surfaces remain in good condition and continue to function effectively.
Allowing this scheme to progress on private front gardens will reduce, store and slow surface water runoff on the ground, reducing the amount of rain entering the Thames Water sewer network and culverted Wealdstone Brook. It will also increase the water storage capacity in the neighbourhood, reducing flood risk to properties.
How to get involved with the consultation
If you live on Belmont Road, Avondale Road, or Talbot Road in Wealdstone, please complete our survey to let us know if this project is of interest.
It’s vitally important we get the opinions of every household. We are asking homeowners to inform us whether or not they are interested in participating in the project and to inform us of historic flooding incidents.
If you have received a letter in the post and are unable to complete the survey online, or want to find out more please come along to our drop-in session on 19 October 2024, 10.30am-12.30pm, Wealdstone Library Meeting Room, 38-40 High St, Harrow HA3 7AE.
If the Council do not receive a response to the survey, the engagement lead, supported by a representative of the Council’s Lead Local Flood Authority (LLFA) team will be conducting door knocking to ensure all residents are informed and have the opportunity to be involved. Responses to the survey are key to determining if the pilot project is progressed beyond this first stage of consultation.
What’s Next?
For the scheme to progress, we need at least 6-12 households on one of the targeted roads to indicate their interest in participating.
The survey results will be anonymised and published in an infographic form on this webpage upon closure of the survey.
If we receive sufficient response from residents, we will obtain external funding and work together to design and implement the project on private front gardens.
