Severn Trent’s £76m makeover for Mansfield reached a big milestone when its first rain garden in the town centre was completed.

The company is installing sustainable drainage systems across the town to create a greener, cleaner Mansfield to help protect against flooding.

The rain garden is the first of thousands of sustainable drainage systems set to be installed across the town to reduce the risk of flooding for up to 90,000 people.

They also help to stop sewers becoming overwhelmed during heavy rain and reduce the need for overflows to be used.
Severn Trent’s first rain garden was completed by working partners Galliford Try, which will be continuing to work on the project as it moves to Ravensdale.

Adam Boucher, of Severn Trent, said: “This really is a key moment of the project, as our first rain garden in the town is now complete — and it’s been a truly collaborative effort.

“With the support of the local councils and our contractors, we’re excited that those living in Mansfield will soon benefit from the rain gardens. It makes us excited about what we can achieve over the next couple of years.

“When all the plants are in full bloom, this area of the town will look greener and be a place for people to enjoy visiting. While the rain garden has a very real purpose of reducing flooding and protecting businesses from flooding, it will improve how the area looks, boost the biodiversity in the area, and make Mansfield a nicer place for people to spend time.”

Coun Andy Burgin, portfolio holder for Environment and Leisure at Mansfield District Council, added: “This location is perfect, right in the heart of town, and will bring a sense of calm and enjoyment to the Market Place.

“The new Memorial Garden will also be just a stone’s throw away, giving residents and visitors another relaxing and green environment to enjoy and reflect.”
Severn Trent say when the project is complete in 2025, the new drainage systems will be able to hold more than 50 million litres of surface water, which is roughly around 20 Olympic swimming pools.

While the work is Mansfield is primarily a sustainable flooding resilience project, the SuDS will naturally deliver a secondary benefit of reducing storm overflow activation by retaining surface water and delaying or preventing it entering the combined sewer network.

This will enable the waste network to cope better with storm events, as it becomes less overwhelmed, reducing the need for storm overflow activations – while creating biodiversity, and a greener environment that benefit wildlife and communities.

The company is currently working in the Ravensdale and Carr Vale area, where it is bringing the sustainable drainage, such as permeable paving, to residential areas of the town.

For more information on the work happening in Mansfield, visit stwater.co.uk/Mansfield.

TOP: Pictured, from left, Adam Boucher, of Severn Trent; Matt Sutton, of Galliford Try; and Coun Andy Burgin.