Selected properties in the Farndon Road area of Newark are being offered funded flood resilience measures as part of a new partnership initiative designed to reduce the impact of future flooding.
The scheme, delivered in partnership by Nottinghamshire County Council, Newark and Sherwood District Council and the Environment Agency, has been introduced in response to repeated flooding in the area, including the significant events following Storm Babet in October 2023.
Households that have flooded multiple times since Storm Babet have been contacted directly and officers from the Environment Agency visited residents to invite them to take part in the scheme.
Through the programme, homeowners are being offered a fully funded package of Property Flood Resilience (PFR) measures, including a detailed survey, design, and installation carried out by specialist contractor.
These measures are designed to reduce the volume of flood water entering properties and to lessen the damage if flooding does occur. While they cannot completely prevent flooding, they can support quicker recovery, help protect homes and belongings, and may improve access to insurance or reduce premiums.
By focusing on practical, property-level interventions, the initiative aims to strengthen resilience in communities that have already experienced the disruption and damage caused by flooding. Improving the resilience of individual homes can play an important role in reducing the overall impact of future flood events and providing greater reassurance for residents.
Councillor Paul Taylor, Portfolio Holder for Public Protection and Community Relations at Newark and Sherwood District Council, said: “I am delighted that we are jointly funding such important and critical flood resilience measures for our residents in an area that has been greatly impacted by flooding in recent years; I know that the support has been greatly appreciated by the eligible homes visited. As a District Council, we have no statutory role in relation to flooding but supporting our communities is at the heart of what we do. The Property Flood Resilience scheme is a result of the successful NSDC flood partnership meetings and follows years of partnership working to help families be protected from future flooding. We will continue to work hard with our partners to try to alleviate flooding in our district.”
Richard Cooper, team leader in the Environment Agency East Midlands Area, said: “We are really pleased to be working in partnership to offer practical, property‑level resilience measures that will make a real difference to people’s lives. While we cannot prevent flooding entirely, we can ensure homes are better prepared, more resilient, and able to recover more quickly.”
Councillor Bert Bingham, Cabinet Member for Transport and Environment at Nottinghamshire County Council, said: “As the lead local flood authority, we are pleased to be working with our partners to support residents who have been affected by flooding and to help strengthen the resilience of homes in the Farndon Road area. Flooding can have a devastating impact on people’s homes and daily lives, and while these measures cannot remove the risk entirely, they can make a real difference by helping properties recover more quickly if flooding happens again. This scheme is an important example of partnership working in action, offering practical support and reassurance to residents who need it most.”
This announcement follows other initiatives the District Council have recently delivered to protect communities and their homes, including grants for flood risk parishes and contributions to alleviation schemes at Oxton, Southwell and Lowdham.