Greater Manchester, United Kingdom
City population: 2679318
Duration: 2016 – 2016
Implementation status: Completed
Scale: Meso-scale: Regional, metropolitan and urban level, Sub-microscale: Street scale (including buildings)
Project area: unknown
Type of area: Other
Last updated: October 2021

The project aimed to test the potential to use existing surface water drainage charge mechanisms to incentivize increased implementation of Sustainable Urban Drainage Schemes (SuDS) to improve flood resilience and improve water quality in the city of Manchester (ref 1). Working with partners from The Water Taskforce, and funded by the DEFRA (Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, UK Env agency), BITC (Business in the Community) and CLASP, these partners have been testing the concept that implementing SuDS on a school site could generate savings for a school, by reducing their hard-standing area and so their charges from their water supplier. Working with two schools in Manchester, the project team carried out detailed audits and SuDS interventions were identified that could divert or slow the flow of water into the sewer system, or reduce the amount of chargeable hard-standing area. Using this information, a trial version of a simple, user-friendly tool has been developed to help schools identify if there may be a cost-effective way to drop a chargeable surface water band (ref. 2).

Overview

Nature-based solution

  • Green areas for water management
  • Sustainable urban drainage systems

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)
  • Green space creation and/or management
  • Economic development and employment (SDG 8)
  • Economic development: service sectors

Focus

Creation of semi-natural blue areas, Other

Project objectives

The project aimed to: 1. Develop a model to test the potential to use existing surface water drainage charge mechanisms to incentivise increased implementation of (SuDS) as a means to improve flood resilience and improve water quality, using Manchester as a pilot location. 2. Explore the potential to create economic opportunities through implementing and maintaining SuDS. 3. Model a school SuDS retrofit 4. To understand financial and operational viability as well as economic/social and environmental benefits at a catchment scale. 5. Raise awareness of the challenges/opportunities within the business community. (ref 1)

Implementation activities

1. Two models were developed to assess the opportunity at both the site level and strategic programme level. 2. The outline economic opportunities have been included in the area model. 3. Two schools were engaged through this project where the project developed and carried out a SuDS audit (ref 2) 4. Diversion of water from playground into linear green space to create a wetland and plant additional vegetation to slow down runoff (ref. 5)

Climate-focused activities

Climate change adaptation:

  • Increase or improve urban vegetation cover to help reduce outdoor temperature
  • Implement sustainable urban drainage infrastructure (e.g. to make space for water)

Main beneficiaries

  • Public sector institution (e.g. school or hospital)
  • Private sector/Corporate/Company
  • Citizens or community groups
  • Young people and children

Governance

Management set-up

  • Led by non-government actors

Type of initiating organisation

  • Business association or network

Participatory approaches/ community involvement

  • Unknown

Details on the roles of the organisations involved in the project

Led by BITC (BUSINESS IN THE COMMUNITY) partners from The Water Taskforce, and funded by funded jointly by Defra (Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, UK Env agency), BITC (Business in the Community) and CLASP (ref 2) - CLASP is the local area sustainability support service. A not-for-profit service, providing free support for public sector organizations and their partners, on dealing with the challenges of environmental resilience, reducing energy use, and renewable energy planning issues.

Project implemented in response to ...

... an EU policy or strategy? Unknown
... a national policy or strategy? Unknown
... a local policy or strategy? Unknown

Financing

Total cost

Unknown

Source(s) of funding

  • Public national budget
  • Corporate investment

Type of funding

  • Unknown

Non-financial contribution

Type of non-financial contribution
  • Provision of land
Who provided the non-financial contribution?
  • Other

Impacts and Monitoring

Environmental impacts

  • Climate change
  • Strengthened capacity to address climate hazards/natural disasters
  • Water management and blue areas
  • Improved water quality
  • Improved stormwater management
  • Green space and habitat
  • Increased green space area
  • Other

Economic impacts

  • Other

Socio-cultural impacts

  • Social justice and cohesion
  • Improved social cohesion
  • Increased involvement of locals in the management of green spaces
  • Education
  • Increased support for education and scientific research
  • Increased knowledge of locals about local nature
  • 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. Business in the Community (BITC). (2016). Water resilient cities: building resilience and saving money through better surface water management. Source link. Available at: Source link (Accessed: 18 July 2020)
2. CLASP. (n.d). Schools SUDS - Potential to Reduce Surface Water Charges. Claspinfo. Available at: Source link (Accessed: 18 July 2020)
3. CLASP. (n.d). SUDS in Schools - the Benefits Revealed. Claspinfo. Available at: Source link (Accessed: 18 July 2020)
4. Business in the Community (BITC). (2016). Case Study: Burnage Academy for Boys. Claspinfo. Available at: Source link (Accessed: 18 July 2020)
5. BITC. (2016). Case Study: Chorlton High School. Claspinfo. Available at: Source link (Accessed: 18 July 2020)
6. Business in the Community. (2017). Water Resilient Cities. WWT. Available at: Source link (Accessed: 18 July 2020)
7. Natural Course. (2018). Pioneering green drainage scheme could save Manchester millions. Natural Course. Available at: Source link (Accessed: 18 July 2020)