West Sussex County Council celebrates ten years of supporting flood-impacted communities

The ten year anniversary comes soon after the completion of flood-prevention projects in Findon and Rogate, resulting in both parishes praising the county councils speed and efficacy.

Operation Watershed funds helped Findon Parish Council deliver drainage improvements in January 2024. The works included new gullies to collect surface water along key locations on the east of the A24, between the Nepcote Lane and the Quadrangle junctions, a spokesperson said this should help redirect most of the surface water away from the Quadrangle and most of the local properties.

Rogate Parish Council, meanwhile, delivered drainage improvements on North Street in November last year, assisted by local landowners and Operation Watershed resources. They upgraded the drainage system to better cope with the natural sandy silt run off from the local land. Since the work was completed, North Street has been entirely flood free, a county council spokesperson said.

The project recommendations were approved by Deborah Urquhart, cabinet member for Environment and Climate Change, who said:

“I’m glad to see the success of Operation Watershed continue to help local communities reduce the risk of flooding and I look forward to seeing the long-term benefit of these schemes and the many others that have been delivered.

“Over the last ten years, funding has supported many projects in a variety of ways such as improving riparian ditch networks, constructing new drainage infrastructure in the public highway and private land. It has also supported work with the Environment Agency on large rife schemes and improving local flood resilience with training, mapping, investigation surveys and providing equipment”.

The three latest recipients of Operation Watershed funding are:

Shermanbury Parish Council, which will receive £137,585 to carry out works to reduce the risk of serious flooding along the A281 and local properties

Compton Parish Council, which has been awarded £45,222 to reduce flooding impacting a key pedestrian footpath in the village along the B2146 and an attenuation swale

West Chiltington Parish Council, which will use £20,310 for works along East Street, West Chiltington to carry out ditch work, improve highways drainage outside of the local school with new gullies connecting with existing drainage and jetting along East Street and Broadford Bridge Road

West Dean Parish Council will use £20,036 for the continuation of drainage work along the B2141 to provide improvements to highway culvert and ditch improvement/ clearance