Published: 3 September 2025
26/08/2025
Dear Rolleston Parish Council,
We are still expecting to share the outcome from our Business Case development for flood risk management in December this year, and we think that would be an appropriate time for us to have a face-to-face meeting with yourselves and those in the community to discuss the outcome and next steps. We would also like to involve the local MP, Jacob Collier, to ensure they are fully informed of the challenges we all face. No details or arrangements have been made yet, but I will update you in due course.
Initial conversations around Natural Flood Risk Management (NFM) are ongoing, and while we have done some high level ‘opportunity mapping’, further site-specific assessments and hydraulic modelling is required to confirm the potential impact of NFM on flood extents and depths in the village. This ideally needs to be done before any stakeholder and landowner engagement is undertaken. We are looking into how we can fund this additional work this financial year.
You may also recall from our June update that we are testing the option of de-silting sections of the channel within the hydraulic model. We have received some early results from these tests, and overall, it has little meaningful impact. While de-silting sections of the brook may reduce flood depths slightly, it is not enough to remove properties from flood risk or even prevent the roads from flooding. We have some further economic assessments to undertake, but as you know, any interventions must be economically viable, environmentally appropriate and a good use of public funds.
Please do let me know if you have any further questions or concerns in the meantime.
Kind Regards, Tom Ellis