Members of Parliament from the Environmental Audit Committee joined Shrewsbury MP Julia Buckley on a fact-finding tour of local flood flashpoints and nature-based flood management schemes.

Flooding flashpoints in and around Shrewsbury were the focus of a high-profile visit by the Environmental Audit Committee yesterday, Thursday 17 July, hosted by Shrewsbury MP Julia Buckley.

The delegation — including the committee’s chair Toby Perkins MP and former Shadow Secretary of State for Energy & Climate Change Barry Gardiner MP — visited a series of key locations impacted by flooding or involved in flood mitigation, including a dairy farm at Minsterley, a nature-based flood management scheme at Hanwood, a business on Smithfield Road in Shrewsbury, and Harper Adams University at Edgmond.

“Members were keen to see first-hand some of the places that have suffered from flooding in the Shrewsbury area, and also discover more about some of the flood alleviation measures in operation,” said Julia Buckley, who last year launched the parliamentary inquiry into flood resilience in England.

“Flooding is a real menace for so many people living in and around Shrewsbury and the villages, and so I am proud to be at the heart of this parliamentary inquiry, led by the Environmental Audit Committee of which I am a member,” she said.

“I secured this inquiry and urged this team to visit Shrewsbury and the villages affected. And I have worked with local stakeholders to develop a programme that shares our experiences of flooding flashpoints as well as showcasing some best practice examples of nature-based solutions working with local farmers, the Environmental Agency and parish councils together. Shrewsbury is leading the way as a national best practice example.”

Local sites highlight community and environmental efforts

The itinerary included a visit to the Rea Brook Demonstrator Project in Hanwood — a Shropshire Council-led scheme delivered by the Severn Rivers Trust. This includes the creation of 35 hectares of wetlands, the planting of 1,000 trees and channel diversions as part of a nature-based flood strategy.

At Minsterley, the group met with the community-led Minsterley Flood Action Group, which monitors and reports on rainfall and drainage conditions. Malehurst Farm in the Rea Brook catchment also featured, with farmers sharing how grassland and drainage management support natural flood management.

The delegation also visited the Chase Car Care Centre in Smithfield Road, one of many Shrewsbury businesses affected by flooding over the years. They heard from representatives of Shrewsbury’s active flood groups, which have submitted evidence to the ongoing inquiry.

Later, the group travelled to Harper Adams University to learn about its Smart Abstraction Project and flow sensors used to manage farmland irrigation and reduce environmental impact.

“This was a really worthwhile visit to these sites in and around Shrewsbury, and the insights gained will go a long way to informing the important and influential report that this committee will publish later in the year,” said Julia Buckley.