Jonathan Morley
Associate Director - Hydrology
Tiverton Foodstore
To assist Lidl in gaining planning consent for land near Tiverton town centre, we were appointed to carry out detailed hydrological and drainage assessments. Our aim was to establish flood risk to the store, the feasibility of emergency procedures, and ensure that no adverse impacts occurred to neighbouring land.
Our initial review of hydrological setting identified that the majority of the site was assessed as being located at high risk of flooding. However, an elevated part of the site was assessed at low risk of flooding.
Flooding was established to originate from the confluence of two main rivers, the River Lowman and an unnamed tributary, with a flanking mechanism of both watercourses impacting the site and development options.Â
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Key details
Project name
Tiverton Foodstore
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Client
Lidl Great Britain Ltd
Location
Tiverton, Devon
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Services provided
- Flood risk management
- Hydrological modelling
- Drainage design
Challenge
The client had specific store position requirements. As a consequence, a significant land profile exercise was required, with the aim of redistributing flooding within the site so the proposed store location would be free or at limited flood risk which could be feasibly managed.
Initial modelling work identified that a straight raise of the foodstore development platform would lead to significant effects on local flood levels, increasing the risk to numerous residential properties.
Solution
Following a detailed review of the model, we proposed slight river channel engineering modifications which alleviated flow constrictions, increasing channel flow and reducing overall flood risk both to the development and surrounding land. We also prepared an emergency flood management strategy so site users could be evacuated safely in a timely manner.
Our input led to consent approval on a site which had been blighted by flood risk issues and refused planning permission on a number of occasions.
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Project statistics
40
New roles for the area
1,325m2
Sales area, with an in-store bakery, customer toilets and parking
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