Town Moor
Flood Protection Work at the Town Moor
A new flood protection project has been built at the Town Moor in Newcastle. It’s part of the Blue Green Newcastle plan to help the city deal with more extreme rain and storms caused by climate change.
Why the Town Moor?
The Town Moor has a long history of flooding. One of the worst events was in June 2012, known as Thunder Thursday, when flooding caused around £70 million of damage across the city. Water from this part of the Town Moor flooded homes and businesses in South Jesmond, with further flooding to transport links and the city centre.
Because of this, the Town Moor was chosen as the first place to start the project.
Who is working on it?
The project has led by Newcastle City Council, with help from:
- the Freemen of Newcastle
- the Environment Agency
- Northumbrian Water
What is being built?
The project includes:
- A 9000m3 attenuation (storage) basin – a bowl area on the moor that holds rainwater temporarily, that’s almost the size of 4 Olympic swimming pools
- a bund – a raised area of land to help shape the basin, with the access road along the top
- a filter drain – drainage to make sure the water gets away at the right speed, with a feature in the pipe that controls how fast water flows into the lake at Exhibition Park
- landscaping – planting and landscape features to improve the area between the Town Moor and lake
- small road works - on Clayton Road to better manage water flowing from the Great North Road
Why is this important?
This work will help:
- protect homes, businesses, and roads from flooding
- make the area greener and better for nature
- prepare the city for future storms
The project cost £2 million, funded through Flood Defence Grant in Aid (Environment Agency), with contributions from the Freemen of Newcastle and the City Council.
