Embleton Road Rain Gardens

Embleton Road rain garden - credit to Bristol City Council
Area characterisation: 

The site is located in the Northern suburbs of Bristol on Embleton road, Southmead near a primary school. The river Trym rises in Southmead and flows southwest through Badock’s Wood.

Slideshow:

Embleton Road rain garden - credit to Bristol City Council
Objective: 

To reduce the flood risk, calm traffic and increase community involvement and awareness of sustainable urban drainage systems. To improve water quality in the River Trym.

Actions: 

The Bristol Surface Water Management Plan identified Southmead as an area that has surface water flooding problems and poor water quality in the river Trym.

Sustrans worked with Bristol City Council and ran a number of workshops to engage school pupils and the local community about...

Potential impacts/benefits: 

Potential impacts/ benefits

Challenges addressed

Enhancing sustainable urbanisation

Restoring ecosystems and their functions

Developing climate change mitigation

Developing climate change adaptation

Water Management

· Improve water quality

· Increase quality and quantity of green and blue infrastructure

· Reduce  flood risk

Green Space management and enhancing urban biodiversity

· Increase amount of green space for residents

· Changing image of the urban environment

· Increased cultural richness and biodiversity

· Reduce run off

· Increase infiltration

Participatory planning and governance

· Increase communities sense of ownership

· Increase social interaction

· Social learning about location and importance of NbS

Transferability of the result: 

Can be used on most streets suffering from road runoff and flooding or in need of traffic control measures.

Lessons learned: 

Community engagement and design in projects can increase communities sense of ownership and young people are keen to get involved in these projects.

Rain gardens should not be planted directly under trees as leaf build up can be a maintenance issue. Openings should be as wide as possible.

An evaluation package should be created for these projects with regular monitoring to determine the impacts on water quality and flood risk.

Financing: 

The project cost £63,400 and was funded by Bristol Green Capital and Bristol City Council.

Contacts: 

Goals:

  • Enhancing sustainable urbanization

NBS Actions:

  • Urban regeneration through nature-based solutions

Keywords:

Changing image of the urban environment, Green infrastructure, Participatory planning and governance, Rivers and lakes, Sustainability, Temperate, Think Nature, ThinkNature, Urban, Increase infiltration / Water storage, Improve water quality, Increase quality and quantity of green and blue infrastructures, Increase amount of green open spaces for residents, Increased cultural richness and biodiversity, Reduce flood risk, Increase communities’ sense of ownership, Reduce run-off, Increase social interaction, Social learning about location & importance of NBS

Client:

Bristol City Council Flood Management Team

Design team:

ARUP

Sustrans

Bristol City Council

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