Flood Technology Group has been asked to help future-proof a residential park in a picturesque riverside location within Derbyshire’s Derwent Valley against the growing threat posed by climate change.
As a recognised leader in the emerging field of flood adaptive technology, Flood Technology Group is working with the owner and occupants of the park on what looks set to be its largest climate resilience project to date.
Merebrook Park at Whatstandwell, near Matlock, offers luxurious, detached residential homes set within a UNESCO World Heritage site. The site’s rural location and proximity to the River Derwent is a major draw for its residents, but the UK’s increasingly unpredictable climate has caused the site to be threatened by flooding on three separate occasions during the last 20 years.
A number of lodges on the site have been threatened by flooding in the past and these incidents have left residents and the owner of the site anxious about what the future holds as seasonal flood events become an increasingly common occurrence in the UK.
Anxious to protect residents and their property and offer them peace of mind, Director of the park Charles Daley turned to Flood Technology Group for help, having heard about its innovative, award-winning flood adaptive technology.
Over the coming months, up to 30 of the existing lodges will be retrofitted with Flood Technology Group’s Flood Adaptive Platform, a groundbreaking mechanical jack system that will give them the unique ability to sense and react to rising floodwater.
The Flood Adaptive Platform works seamlessly with FloodAdapt, a flood early warning system provided by Flood Technology Group that can be customised to any site owner’s specific requirements, providing highly accurate updates as a flood event unfolds to support the timely and safe evacuation of people. Crucially, Compass Insurance, which provides specialist insurance cover for holiday and residential park customers, has endorsed this technology.
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Mr Daley said: “Our residents don’t want to have to move because they love living here and there’s huge demand for new lodges on the area of our site that’s not yet developed, thanks to its picturesque, riverside location. However, we recognise that flooding may happen more frequently due to our changing climate, so we wanted to find a way to future-proof people’s homes to give both the residents and us, as responsible park operators, peace of mind.
“When we heard about Flood Technology Group’s work with other UK holiday and residential park sites, we realised that this type of technology was the solution that we’ve been searching for! It’s such a relief to know that there’s a way to protect both people and property, as well as the future viability of our business, despite the growing threat posed by climate change.”
Louise Hall, a resident of the site whose home is close to the river, said: “I absolutely love living at Merebrook and see it as my forever home. However the risk of flooding, especially as the climate is changing so fast, has worried me. I am so relieved to hear this system can be fitted to my home! I can now relax and enjoy this beautiful location, knowing that my most important possession is safe.”
Simon Gilliland, Chief Executive of Flood Technology Group, said: “We’re looking forward to starting work on site before the end of the year, when existing residents will begin to have this innovative technology retrofitted to their lodges. We’re also exploring how residents can access grants from Defra (the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) to help them cover some of the cost of this.”