A grant has been awarded to reduce the risk of flooding along the Swan Brook stream between Harman’s Cross, Langton Matravers and Swanage in Dorset by introducing natural measures to slow the flow of the river.
The Environment Agency on behalf of the UK Government’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has given nearly £325,000 to the National Trust to improve the Swan Brook which flows through six areas of its tenanted farmland in Purbeck.
The grant will primarily fund work on the National Trust tenanted farm land marked in blue but it’s hoped that will lead to improvements throughout the water course
The Swan Brook arrives in Swanage by the Prospect Business Park just off Victoria Avenue
Slow the flow
The plan is to introduce natural flood management methods like building low earth bunds, leaky dams in ditches and creating new seasonal and permanent wetland habitats in the fields, thus allowing the land to retain the water for longer and reducing the speed of the flow heading towards the homes and businesses in Swanage.
Swanage has a history of flooding in the past, with substantial infrastructure developed in the 1990s to protect the town.
The grant is part of a £25 million programme to improve flood resilience throughout England and although the money has been awarded to the National Trust in Purbeck, a Swanage Streams Partnership has been set up to deliver wider improvements to the Swan Brook and other streams around Swanage.
The partnership includes the National Trust, Dorset National Landscape, Planet Purbeck, Litter Free Purbeck and Swanage Town Council.
It’s easy to miss the Swan Brook as it passes through King George’s Playing Fields in Swanage as it’s quite overgrown with vegetation but could water voles thrive once again?
The community launch event of the Swanage Streams Partnership at The Swanage School was well attended
Whole community involvement
The Swan Brook is currently classified as in a poor condition, so there’s lots to be done and the ambition is to encourage the whole community to get involved.
Swanage Town Council has provided £6,000 to kick start the community engagement and the first meeting for local residents to find out more was on Tuesday 26th November 2024 at The Swanage School and was well attended.
A second meeting is planned from 6.30 pm to 8.30 pm on Wednesday 29th January 2025 at Langton Matravers village hall.
This free event will focus more specifically on the natural flood management plans for Langton Matravers and the surrounding land. Residents are invited to just turn up and bring their ideas and questions.
From the Prospect Business Park, the Swan Brook heads towards King George’s and Swanage town centre
The point where the Swan Brook meets the sea next to The Mowlem and the Brook Tearooms
Work to start in 2025
The work on the National Trust farmland is to start in spring 2025 with the recruitment of a project officer in January 2025 to coordinate the action plan.
Anyone who wants to get involved can volunteer from spring 2025 to help with monitoring wildlife in the streams, as well as signing up for work parties to improve the river habitat.
Gen Crisford from the National Trust is overseeing the scheme. She said:
“We’re aiming to slow the water as it runs off the hillsides into the Swan Brook, rather than it careering down hill towards Swanage. We can do this by recreating naturally winding streams with wetland areas at the start of the Swan Brook.
“Not only will this help reduce flooding further down stream but also encourage biodiversity, reduce erosion and improve water quality.
“In urban areas, people can slow the rainfall from running down the roads by installing water butts, reducing the size of non permeable driveways or replacing them with permeable surfaces, and creating soakaways for rainwater that comes off your roof.
“It’s going to take a couple of years to put the plans in place but hopefully it will start a movement of love for the Swan Brook, which will improve its condition and mean that it’s looked after and appreciated in the future.”
The Con Club – could sea trout be spotted in the Swan Brook one day?
Further information
- More about the Swanage Streams Partnership on Planet Purbeck website
- Join the Planet Purbeck mailing list to get information via email about the Swanage Streams Partnership and other events
- Environment Agency information about owning a watercourse
