Cardiff, United Kingdom
City population: 344626
Duration: 2016 – 2018
Implementation status: Completed
Scale: Micro-scale: District/neighbourhood level
Project area: 7250000 m2
Type of area: Industrial, Residential, Public Greenspace Area, Central Business District / City Centre, Building
Last updated: October 2021

Grangetown is the site for a flagship environmental programme to tackle flood risk and water waste (ref 5). This scheme catches, cleans and diverts rainwater directly into the River Taff instead of pumping it over 8 kilometres to the sea. It will make Grangetown a greener, cleaner place and enhance local biodiversity (ref 2). Every year more than 40,000m³ of rainwater is diverted from entering the combined sewer network (ref 1). Interventions include planters, swales, bio-retention ponds, permeable paving and curb drainage, making use of the existing streetscape. 108 rain gardens have been created, and 130 trees have been planted; the area has been deemed the 1st "bicycle street" in Wales (ref 8). Wider benefits include education, health, well-being (ref 1).

Overview

Nature-based solution

  • Grey infrastructure featuring greens
  • Alley or street trees and other street vegetation
  • Parks and urban forests
  • Pocket parks/neighbourhood green spaces
  • Blue infrastructure
  • Lakes/ponds
  • Green areas for water management
  • Rain gardens
  • Swales and filter strips
  • Sustainable urban drainage systems
  • Other

Key challenges

  • Climate action for adaptation, resilience and mitigation (SDG 13)
  • Climate change adaptation
  • Water management (SDG 6)
  • Flood protection
  • Stormwater and rainfall management and storage
  • Improvements to water quality
  • Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
  • Habitat and biodiversity restoration
  • Green space creation and/or management
  • Environmental quality
  • Air quality improvement
  • Noise reduction

Focus

Creation of new green areas, Maintenance and management of urban nature, Management and improved protection of rivers and other blue areas

Project objectives

1. The main goal is to make Greener Grangetown an exemplar scheme for water sensitive sustainable drainage (ref 3) 2. To explore the feasibility of managing surface water in Grangetown with the aim of minimizing the amount of water entering the surface water system and using it. 4.To understand the practicality and implications of retrofitting Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS)/green infrastructure 5. To integrate the chosen measures into the public space to enhance the overall outdoor experience. 6. To encourage water efficiency and behavioural change towards water usage and address issues associated with climate change. 7. To tackle flood risk and water waste. (ref 5) 8. Enhance local biodiversity and wildlife. (ref 2) 9. Remove a certain extent of impermeable area (ref 3) 10. To identify, reduce and manage environmental risks. (ref 3) 11. Better health through easier access to recreational opportunities (ref 3) 12. Improved air & water quality (ref 3)

Implementation activities

- Removal of 42,000m2 of impermeable area - Realize annual monetary benefits of £381,760 (ref 8) - 1,700m2 of new green space developed - Improvements in air quality - Reduction in noise from traffic - 555m long bicycle street contributing to the UK National Cycle Network Route 8 and the Taff Trail Active Travel route (ref 8) - Renovate 100+ year old utilities (ref 8) - 108 rain gardens established, using native grasses and shrubs (ref 8) - 127 trees planted (ref 8) - Habitat creation and increase in biodiversity - Improved urban environment (ref 4)

Climate-focused activities

Climate change adaptation:

  • Implement sustainable urban drainage infrastructure (e.g. to make space for water)

Biodiversity conservation or restoration-focused activities

Biodiversity restoration:

  • Rehabilitate and restore damaged or destroyed ecosystems
  • Restore species (native, endangered, or unspecified)
  • Restore native species

Main beneficiaries

  • Local government/Municipality
  • Private sector/Corporate/Company
  • Citizens or community groups
  • Other

Governance

Management set-up

  • Co-governance with government and non-government actors

Type of initiating organisation

  • Local government/municipality

Participatory approaches/ community involvement

  • Consultation (e.g. workshop, surveys, community meetings, town halls)

Details on the roles of the organisations involved in the project

Working in conjunction with the EU funded WISDOM project and is A CEEQUAL assessed project (Ref 4). Greener Grangetown initiative was the result of a co-operative effort between Cardiff City Council, Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water, Natural Resources Wales, ERH Communications & Civil Engineering, and GreenBlue Urban. 1. Cardiff Council is the Local Authority - Lead Local Flood Authority (ref 4) 2. Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water: Sewerage undertaker, RainScape and Risk Management Authority (ref 4) 3. Natural Resources Wales is the Environmental regulator and consenting authority (ref 4) 4. ARUP served as designers (ref 2) 5. ERH Communications & Civil Engineering served as the primary contractors (ref 12) 6. GreenBlue Urban served as the tree root cell system supplier (ref 12) 7. Gerald Davies Landscape and Maintenance Services provided landscaping (ref 12) 8. Faithful and Gould - EEC provided project management (ref 12)

Project implemented in response to ...

... an EU policy or strategy? Unknown
... a national policy or strategy? Unknown
... a local policy or strategy? Yes (To develop the One Plant Cardiff vision (ref 3))

Financing

Total cost

€2,000,000 - €4,000,000

Source(s) of funding

  • Public regional budget
  • Public local authority budget

Type of funding

  • Earmarked public budget
  • Direct funding (grants, subsidies, or self-financed projects by private entities)

Non-financial contribution

Unknown

Impacts and Monitoring

Environmental impacts

  • Climate change
  • Enhanced carbon sequestration
  • Environmental quality
  • Improved air quality
  • Reduced noise exposure
  • Water management and blue areas
  • Increased protection against flooding
  • Improved stormwater management
  • Green space and habitat
  • Increased green space area
  • Increased conservation or restoration of ecosystems
  • Reduced biodiversity loss
  • Enhanced support of pollination

Economic impacts

  • Increased property prices
  • Reduce financial cost for urban management
  • Other

Socio-cultural impacts

  • Safety
  • Increased perception of safety
  • Social justice and cohesion
  • Fair distribution of social, environmental and economic benefits of the NBS project
  • Improved liveability
  • Improved access to urban green space
  • Increased opportunities for social interaction
  • Health and wellbeing
  • Improved physical health
  • Gain in activities for recreation and exercise
  • Cultural heritage and sense of place
  • Promotion of cultural diversity
  • Education
  • Increased support for education and scientific research
  • Increased awareness of NBS and their benefits
  • Other

Type of reported impacts

Expected impacts, Achieved impacts

Presence of formal monitoring system

Yes

Presence of indicators used in reporting

Yes

Presence of monitoring/ evaluation reports

Yes

Availability of a web-based monitoring tool

No evidence in public records

References

1. ARUP. (2013). Design with water. [Website not available in 2020]
2. Greener Grange Town project team. (2017). Natural Resources Wales. [Available at: Source link. [Accessed on Jul 9 2020].
3. Titherington, I. (2013). A Partnership Approach to (W.S.) Sustainable Drainage. Susdrain. [Available at: Source link. [Accessed on Jul 9 2020]
4. Titherington, I. (2017). Delivering SUDS in Cardiff. [Available at: Source link. [Accessed on Jul 9 2020].
5. Cresci, E. 2013. Greener Grangetown scheme launches to tackle city flood risk. Your Cardiff. [Website not available in 2020].
6. Cardiff Council Report. (2014). Greener Grangetown Delivery Plans. [Available at: Source link. [Accessed on Jul 9 2020].
7. Cardiff University. (2016). 'Greener Grangetown' research study underway. [Available at: Source link. [Accessed on Jul 9 2020].
8. Green Cities. (2019). Greenger Grangetown. [Available at: Source link. [Accessed on Jul 9 2020].
9. Cardiff Caerdydd. (2019). Cardiff Biodiversity and Resilience of Ecosystems Duty Forward Plan: City of Cardiff Council Green Infrastructure Plan. Cardiff: City of Cardiff. [Available at: Source link. [Accessed on: Jul 9 2020].
10. Cardiff Caerdydd. (2013). Cardiff Local Development Plan Masterplanning Framework. [Available at: Source link. [Accessed on: Jul 9 2020].
11. GreenBlue Urban. (No date). Greener Grangetown. [Available at: Source link. [Accessed on: Jul 9 2020].
12. Susdrain. (No date). Greener Grangetown, Cardiff. [Available at: Source link ]. [Accessed on: Jul 9 2020]