Contact

 
 

Doncaster, Immingham and Grimsby (DIG) surface water resilience project

Transforming simple streetscapes into blue-green corridors to benefit people, businesses and the community.

Location:

Scawthorpe and Clay Lane, Doncaster. Also around Immingham and Grimsby

Timeframe:

2021–2027

Cost:

Funded by Defra as part of the £200 million Flood and Coastal Innovation Programmes, managed by the Environment Agency. The programmes will drive innovation in flood and coastal resilience and adaptation to a changing climate.

£6.7 million secured so far, with half allocated to projects in South Yorkshire.


Installing “design your own” SuDS at Castle Hills Primary Academy in Scawthorpe, Doncaster. 2024 – Credit: City of Doncaster Council

Background:

At least one in six people in England are at risk of flooding from rivers and the sea. Many more are at risk from surface water flooding. In Doncaster, Immingham and Grimsby, numerous properties are at risk of flooding from surface water and the public sewer network.

Sustainable urban drainage solutions (SuDS) are relatively natural ways to manage this risk. Sewers are sometimes unable to cope with extremely heavy rainfall when water flows directly into them. SuDS transport rainwater into green areas instead. There, plants and trees soak up the water, ponds store it, or it drains away more slowly to a watercourse or the sewer.

Retrofit SuDS are features fitted to an existing building or street. They integrate with highway drains and sewers, rather than forming part of the original design.

A simple map of South and East Yorkshire showing project locations at Clay Lane and Scawthorpe in Doncaster.
Map of DIG project locations – Credit: DIG Surface Water resilience project

Summary of project:

DIG is one of our partnership projects. It brings together two councils: North East Lincolnshire Council and City of Doncaster Council. They are working with two water companies: Anglian Water and Yorkshire Water. Together we aim to use innovative SuDS to increase flood resilience and bring communities closer to nature.

We are working with schools, businesses and local communities to raise understanding of flood risk. We’re sharing with them the steps we can take to make ourselves and our properties more resilient.

Local communities are designing their own SuDS. They’re helping to select the plants, trees and vegetation for their own local rain gardens.

We are working with the University of Hull to measure the impact of each SuDS feature on flood risk over time. We’re gathering this information through weather and sewer monitoring.

Benefits

  • Reducing flood risk from surface water and the sewers.

  • Creating attractive blue-green streets that encourage walking and improve health and wellbeing.

  • Enabling biodiversity to flourish and bringing communities closer to nature.

Further Information

View projects located in: Doncaster
View similar projects tagged with: Sustainable Urban Drainage
See all projects