A long‑standing flooding issue on Taverham Lane and Costessey Road is now being tackled through a coordinated programme of works led by the Norfolk Strategic Flood Alliance (NSFA) - a partnership effort that sector professionals are hailing as a model for how multi‑agency collaboration can deliver real, practical resilience.
The route, which sits within a natural floodplain, has for years been prone to dangerous conditions during high rainfall. Repeated overtopping of the adjacent river has caused flooding across the road, leading to collisions, closures, and regular disruption for residents, commuters, and emergency services.
But thanks to the unified effort of drainage authorities, highways teams, water companies and local landowners, a shared plan is now being delivered to restore the area’s historic drainage pathways and reduce the frequency and severity of flood events.
Historic infrastructure, modern problems
A joint site visit in late 2025 brought the issues into sharp focus. What should have been a functioning ditch and culvert system - designed to convey water safely beneath the road - had become blocked and infilled over many years. With no route for high river flows to escape, water was forced across the carriageway instead of under it.
Rather than approaching the issue in isolation, NSFA partners agreed a unified, whole‑catchment response. This included:
- Reopening the historic ditch system on both sides of the road, delivered by the Water Management Alliance (WMA) using their machinery, resource and consenting expertise.
- Culvert clearance and surveying, with Anglian Water providing access and jetting teams, followed by Highways inspections to assess structure condition.
- Support from landowners, both private and corporate, who granted access and permissions essential for the work to proceed.
By reinstating the upstream-downstream connection, water will once again be able to follow its intended route beneath the road, reducing overtopping and restoring a more natural flow regime.
Highways improvements strengthen the package
Complementing the ditch and culvert work, Norfolk County Council’s Highways teams are also delivering improvements to road‑level drainage and safety, including:
- Verge reprofiling to enhance water run‑off
- Clearing gullies and upstream drainage channels
- Installing new road‑edge marker boards to improve visibility during adverse conditions
Together, these works not only tackle the principal cause of flooding but also improve the road’s ability to cope when extreme rainfall does occur - an increasingly important consideration for local authorities nationwide.
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A model for partnership working
Elected members and partners alike have praised the joint effort as a textbook example of what coordinated flood risk management can achieve.
Cllr James Bensly, Cabinet Member for Environment and Waste, highlighted the significance of this collaborative approach, noting that it demonstrates “a practical and lasting solution” and a “joined‑up approach” that delivers for communities.
Local member Cllr Stuart Clancy echoed the sentiment, emphasising that years of concern from residents are now being addressed thanks to “such a coordinated effort to resolve the underlying issues.”
For Henry Cator, Chairman of the Norfolk Strategic Flood Alliance, the project represents the NSFA’s mission in action:
“This project is a clear demonstration of what the NSFA was created to achieve. By bringing the right organisations together and taking a practical, whole‑system approach, we’ve made a real difference to the local community.”
He also drew attention to the willingness of partners - including private landowners - to contribute well beyond their statutory duties, describing it as a reflection of shared determination and goodwill.
Looking ahead: monitoring and long‑term resilience
With the immediate works now underway, partners are exploring opportunities for future enhancement. Early discussions include the potential installation of river‑level monitoring equipment, which could feed into wider modelling, risk prediction, and even roadside warning systems.
While the NSFA is clear that flooding cannot be entirely eliminated in a natural floodplain, the coordinated action taken is expected to:
- Reduce the frequency of road closures
- Limit the severity and duration of flooding
- Improve road safety during extreme weather events
- Support better data and decision‑making in the long term
A blueprint for the wider flood industry
The Taverham Lane and Costessey Road project showcases what many in the flood sector have long advocated: that complex flood risk problems require collaborative, multi‑agency solutions grounded in shared responsibility, practical knowledge, and cross‑boundary cooperation.
For organisations across the UK, the NSFA’s approach offers a powerful reminder that when authorities, water companies, IDBs, highways teams and landowners pull in the same direction, flood resilience becomes more achievable - not just on paper, but on the ground.
This article was featured in Issue 11 of Flood Industry magazine (March/April 2026). You can view it here.