Resilience
The Board is committed to the improved resilience of the district and keen to explore the options available to it that might present opportunities to defend the lowland areas from excessive flood risk.
The Board acknowledges that the flood plain will always flood, and with the oncoming change in weather expected over the next 5 to 50 years, understands the limitations of what can be achieved. That said, the Board believes that all improvements will positively contribute and build towards the wider resilience mosaic, strengthening its ability to protect, drain, and manage the district it serves.
To compliment this sentiment, and reflect the district management improvements sought from the it’s own strategic objectives, the Board is trialling a funding stream that hopes to aid the completion of smaller natural flood management (NFM) projects. This funding aims to increase the number of NFM projects both inside and outside the district and work towards peak flow reduction through smaller, cheaper, and more manageable interventions. As of August 2023, this fund is in its opening pilot year. The scheme is expected to run initially for 5 years, with a review in 2026 to establish uptake.
For more information on NFM click here
The Natural Flood Management and Conservation Fund
As mentioned, in 2023 the Board approved an initial launch of the fund that was based around resilience. As an industry first, the governance and operation was thorough but overly technical and complicated leading to a poor uptake. In 2025, work began via the newly formed Conservation Committee, to revamp the fund and make it far more accessible to those that might need financial assistance in delivering low risk or low budget interventions. We are delighted to say that after several months effort, this is now open again for applications under it’s new title of ‘The Natural Flood Management and Conservation Fund’.
The fund itself comprises monies received as part of the sale of the Board’s old property in Maidstone. As part of its financial plans, the Board wanted to see a positive outcome from the sale and utilise some of the money received in a way that offered tangible outcomes to the stakeholders in the district.
Whilst not specifically designed for any one type of design or delivery body, the fund is aimed at helping those who are trying to get financial assistance with the design and delivery of a project that can actively demonstrate benefit to the district or the catchment of an IDB watercourse.
The governance of this fund is managed via the conservation and finance committees, that have the responsibility to offer oversight and suggestion of fund applications to the main Board.
If you have an NFM scheme that offers potential benefit to the district and would like to apply, please follow the directions in the documentation linked below or contact us at HERE
If you are ready to make an application to the Board, please use our expression of interest form which can be found HERE