Rail giant backs farmer-led flood prevention scheme

Network Rail and other major infrastructure operators are investing more than £3m into a farmer-led landscape recovery scheme in the Cotswolds aimed at reducing flood risk and protecting rail lines, substations and roads.

The funding over the next three years, announced through the Evenlode Landscape Recovery (ELR) project, will see Network Rail, Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) and Oxfordshire County Council pay farmers directly to deliver natural flood management across the Evenlode catchment.

The initiative is part of the wider £100m ELR scheme, led by the North East Cotswold Farmer Cluster, which involves more than 50 farms across Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire and Warwickshire.

See also: UK’s largest farmer-led nature recovery project approved

Under the agreement, farmers will create wetlands, woodland and meadows on less productive land to slow water movement, restore floodplains and improve soil health.

The aim is to reduce downstream flooding that can damage infrastructure and disrupt services.

Network Rail said flooding remained a significant risk along the route.

“In this area the railway crosses the Evenlode River 27 times, creating multiple pinch points where flooding can disrupt services,” said Ryan Barrett, weather resilience and climate adaptation programme manager at Network Rail.

“Investing in natural flood management gives us an opportunity to reduce risk before it reaches the railway.”

Blended finance

The project is being presented as one of the first large-scale examples of infrastructure providers funding environmental land management directly through “blended finance”, combining public and private investment.

Farmers involved in the scheme will be paid to carry out habitat creation and maintain landscape changes for at least 20 years.

Tim Field, executive director of ELR, said the partnership marked “a new chapter” in flood prevention.

“Farmers are uniquely placed to manage water at source,” he said. “By restoring habitats and improving soil structure across the catchment, we can reduce flood risk downstream while strengthening farm businesses for the long term.”

SSEN said the approach could help avoid future costs to energy customers by protecting vulnerable infrastructure before damage occurs.

Largest scheme

The Evenlode scheme – the UK’s largest farmer-led nature recovery scheme – is one of the first Landscape Recovery projects in England to move into full delivery and forms part of Defra’s wider Environmental Land Management programme.

More than 3,000ha of habitat will be restored by a group of more than 50 farmers over the next 20 years, while participating farms continue food production alongside environmental work.