Later today, officials from the Worcestershire County, the Environment Agency, as well as other dignitaries and guests will celebrate the official opening of a £4.1 million Badsey Brook flood risk management scheme.
The project has been delivered as part of the Environment Agency’s £2.6b capital investment program to reduce flood risk to 300,000 homes by 2021.
Daniel Wilkinson from the Environment Agency said: “I t’s brilliant that by working with our partners we have found a solution that is designed to greatly reduce the risk of flooding for residents living in Broadway, Childswickham and Murcot.”
According to the EA, the scheme will reduce the risk of flooding for 272 homes and businesses in Broadway, Childswickham and Murcot.
The new Badsey Brook flood storage area, sited at an 18 acre field in Broadway, will be able to hold up to 135,000 cubic meters of water during times of flood and will only allow a set amount of water to flow downstream at times of intense and high rainfall.
As a condition of the planning application, detailed archaeological investigations, part funded by Worcestershire County Council, were carried out at the site, unearthing evidence of settlements dating back around 8,500 years. Finds included a beaker dating from around 2,000 BC and skeletons of a mother and baby.
Nigel Huddleston MP for Mid-Worcestershire, Worcestershire County Councillor Liz Eyre BEM, who represents Broadway, and Tony Jones, retired Chief Engineer from Wychavon District Council, will be unveiling a plaque and burying a time capsule at Badsey Brook in Broadway. Anthony Parry from the Environment Agency will be giving an outline of the scheme.