Sidmouth will probably see substantial new housing developed – but there’s concern about the lack of infrastructure.
And that includes infrastructure against increased flooding.
There are resilient responses to reverse the effects of urban flooding – both in the Sid Valley and beyond. And there is natural and low-impact infrastructure along the Sid.
But perhaps we need more creative ways of going about it.
A new service provider is offering a new approach:
Rebalance Earth is the first UK boutique asset manager entirely focused on Nature as an investable asset. Over the next decade Rebalance Earth aims to mobilise £10bn from long-term asset owners to invest in UK natural infrastructure, to build climate adaptation and resilience. We will restore Nature at a landscape and seascape level, to deliver vital ecosystem services to companies, communities and cities. Rebalance Earth
And the news is that Plymouth City Council announces a pilot nature restoration project with Rebalance Earth, a UK fund manager connecting finance and nature.
The press has caught on, with Plymouth Live reporting that plans have been unveiled to ease Plymouth flood risks and climate-proof the city, whilst BBC Devon focusses on this new firm aiming to reduce River Plym flooding risks:
A city council has joined forces with an investment firm to increase spending on reducing flooding.
Rebalance Earth said it would fund improvements on the River Plym, while working alongside Plymouth City Council to identify problem areas. In return Rebalance Earth makes a return on its investments through deals with companies which benefit from the reduced risk and costs of flooding.
Councillor Tom Briars-Delve, cabinet member for the environment and climate change, said getting outside investment was key to “improving, maintaining and optimising our cherished green and blue spaces”.
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“We fix the river to reduce the risk of flooding,” Walid Al Saqqaf, co-founder of Rebalance Earth, said. Rebalance Earth would make companies more resilient to climate change, he said. The firm would be investing in “nature-based solutions” rather than large-scale infrastructure to reduce flooding risks. “People have been making money for years out of extraction from nature but we are proving that by putting money into nature we can make a profit,” he said.
Would this be something for the Sid Valley?
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