Severn Trent’s £76m makeover for Mansfield has reached a major milestone, as its first rain garden in the town centre is complete.

The company is installing sustainable drainage systems across the town, to create a greener, cleaner Mansfield to help protect against flooding, while bringing big community benefits.

The town is set to be transformed over the next three years that will see communities more resilient against the increasing threat of flooding from climate change, population growth and urban development and has been working in collaboration with Mansfield District Council and Nottinghamshire County Council to develop a greener, cleaner vision for the town.

The completion of the first town centre rain garden is the first of thousands of sustainable drainage systems set to be installed across the town to reduce the risk of flooding for up to 90,000 local people.  Not only will they look smart and be good for the environment, they’ll also help to stop our sewers becoming overwhelmed during heavy rain and reduce the need for overflows to be used.

Severn Trent’s first raingarden was completed by it’s working partners, Galliford Try who will be continuing to work with Severn Trent on the project as it moves to Ravensdale.

Adam Boucher from Severn Trent said: “This really is a key moment of the project, as our first rain garden in the town is now complete, and it’s been a truly collaborative effort. With the support of the local councils and our contractors, we’re really excited that those living in Mansfield will soon benefit from the rain gardens and makes us excited about what we can achieve over the next couple of years.

“When all the plants are in full bloom, this area of the town will look greener and be a place for people to enjoy visiting. While the rain garden has a very real purpose of reducing flooding and protecting businesses from flooding, it will improve how the area looks and boost the biodiversity in the area and make Mansfield a nicer place for people to spend time.”

Councillor Andy Burgin, Portfolio Holder for Environment and Leisure, said: "I am thrilled to be here opening one of the many new rain gardens being installed across the district. These gardens bring endless benefits to our communities, alleviate the growing risk of flooding, and make Mansfield cleaner and greener.

"This location is perfect, right in the heart of town, and will bring a sense of calm and enjoyment to the Market Place. The Memorial Garden is also just a stone's throw away, giving residents and visitors another relaxing and green environment to enjoy and reflect.

“The innovative Severn Trent programme fits perfectly with our ambitious plans to 'green up' Mansfield. We're pleased that our urban greening project works are underway. Most recently, the Pocket Park near Walkden Street car park is now fully open for use, and planting 3,200 trees in our award-winning parks is underway too.

“I am confident as the roll-out of these rain gardens continues that it will help to make Mansfield more attractive and encourage people to spend more time in the town centre for the benefit of the local economy, our residents and visitors.”

Matt Sutton, Regional Director, Galliford Try - Environment said: “We are delighted to have been involved with Severn Trent, working collaboratively in delivering this innovative scheme in Mansfield. This project aligns with our Sustainable Growth Strategy and our key priorities around protecting the environment and creating greater social value for communities.”

“Adopting sustainable resourcing and consumption practices and taking measures to mitigate carbon production and climate change to protect our environment and biodiversity, as well as spreading the message of how important local ecosystems are to our environment and making a positive impact in communities where we operate is all part of our business offering. By working closely with our partners, we hope that we have left a positive legacy, both in terms of what has been built and the way it has been achieved.”

Severn Trent say when the project is complete in 2025, the new drainage systems will be able to hold over 50 million litres of surface water, which is roughly around 20 Olympic swimming pools.

While the work is Mansfield is primarily a sustainable flooding resilience project, the SuDS will naturally deliver a secondary benefit of reducing storm overflow activation by retaining surface water and delaying or preventing it entering the combined sewer network.

This will enable the waste network to cope better with storm events, as it becomes less overwhelmed, reducing the need for storm overflow activations – while creating biodiversity, and a greener environment that benefit wildlife and communities.

The company is currently working in the Ravensdale and Carr Vale area, where it is bringing the sustainable drainage, such as permeable paving, to residential areas of the town.

For more information on the work happening in Mansfield, please visit stwater.co.uk/Mansfield.