The Environment Agency is investigating proposals to manage the risk of flooding in Calstock, Cornwall, from the River Tamar - the scheme is needed urgently.

The existing flood embankment provides an important role in reducing flood risk in Calstock, but surveys have shown it is in a poor condition. The Environment Agency is currently exploring options to develop an affordable scheme to continue the standard of flood protection to properties within Calstock.

The Agency said it is working hard to try to develop an affordable scheme to continue the standard of flood protection to properties within Calstock.

High water levels on the Tamar, at Calstock, Cornwall

In autumn 2017 the Environment Agency carried out ground investigation and topographic surveys as well as heritage and ecological walkover surveys and used these to develop a hydraulic model and build an understanding of flood risk and the environment in Calstock.

Only way to fund scheme that manages flood risk is to create reed bed habitat

The only way to fund a scheme that manages flood risk is to create reed bed habitat, as the latter provides approximately 75% of the funding for the work. A significant proportion of people welcomed the opportunities that the proposed habitat presented to attract wildlife to the area.

The Agency has tackled a number of concerns and queries raised during the course of public consultation, including concerns that the proposed work would be affected by any future discharge of sewage from the local wastewater treatment works.

Changes to the waste water network are outside the scope of the project. However, concerns of unresolved pollution issues have been passed to both the Environment Agency’s enforcement team and South West Water. The proposed work will not increase the risk or impact of pollution incidents and by protecting the wastewater treatment works from flooding, the risk of environmental incidents will decrease, the Agency said.

The proposals were submitted to Cornwall Council for planning permission in February 2019 and a decision is anticipated in June 2019 - the scheme is described as vital by the Agency. The existing embankment is in a poor condition and cannot be sustained on its current alignment; without the proposed improvements the existing embankment is likely to fail in the foreseeable future.

The Environment Agency said that urgent action is now needed to prevent the failure of the existing embankment and the consequences that would result from such a failure.

“If this opportunity to proactively manage flood risk in Calstock fails, the existing bank will ultimately fail and the opportunity to protect Calstock will have been missed,” the Agency said.