VIDEO; £1.1m project set to manage flood risk at Warnham Mill Pond

Local stakeholders and the public were invited to a public meeting on Monday last week at Warnham Nature Reserve to hear more about the proposals.

The Environment Agency along with Horsham District Council informed those attending of the broad details of the revised scheme.

Comments and suggestions from the evening will be used to help shape the final design of the improvement works, HDC said this week.

Warnham Mill Pond is part of the Warnham Local Nature Reserve, about 2km to the north-west of Horsham.

In 2009, a routine inspection of the reservoir identified the need for works to be carried out to meet revised safety standards, HDC said.

After gathering feedback from consultations held in 2011, the original plan was to remove the pond and create a wetland habitat, characterised by pools and islands.

HDC said this week: “Further work on this proposal proved to be extremely expensive with significant ongoing annual costs associated with its maintenance.

“The revised proposal will improve the reservoir embankment so flood water can be safely transported away, greatly reducing the risk of failure of the embankment during severe rainfall.

“The estimated cost for this work is £1.1m, a saving of around £4m compared to the revised cost of the previous wetland option.’’

HDC together with the Environment Agency are securing funding to deliver the necessary improvements. A report will be considered by Horsham councillors at a cabinet meeting on May 23.