'Sponge' land plan to soak up flooding

A patch of arable land is to be transformed into a "sponge" to help soak up floodwater heading into Shrewsbury.The 50 acres of land near Melverley will turned into a natural grassed area in a bid to increase its water retention and help reduce the risk of flooding in the county town.

The Shropshire Wildlife Trust, based in Abbey Foregate, Shrewsbury, has snapped up the land and will start work on it in the autumn.

Trust director Colin Preston said: "Our intention is to manage it in such a way it is good for wildlife and will act as a sponge to slow down flood waters coming into Shrewsbury."

Mr Preston said the way arable land was farmed meant water left it very quickly and ended up in the river, which was not "sympathetic" to reducing the flood risk for the town.

He said: "Of course we need lots of food to eat but it's a question of being sensible about the land coverage we have and with arable land, water flows very quickly into the river and could lead to flash floods.

"We thought we would practice what we preach and get some land and try and show how by changing the management of it, you can reduce the flood risk."Previously this land was under arable crops and would flood two to three times a year. It meant the crops were ruined and water retention on that ground was very limited and ran straight into the river.

"What we intend to do is remove drains on the land and put it back to a natural grass area with wild flowers to help it be more like a sponge. Simply by changing from arable to grassland, it increases the water retention by three-and-a-half times.

"Our bit of land is only 50 acres but what we have been doing over the last five years is working with farmers and landowners to help them get into various various schemes that complement what we are doing with this area of land.

"I think farmers are sceptical. But every little bit helps and if we can show a good example, without ruining people's livelihoods and putting farmers out of business, we can show it's possible," he said.

Shrewsbury and Atcham MP Daniel Kawczynski welcomed the plans and said he was due to meet staff at the wildlife trust on Wednesday.

By Rebecca Lawrence