Nearly £1 million extra being spent to complete Plymouth ponds project

Its a nature-based solution to tackle flooding

Nearly £1 million of extra cash is being spent to finish a project to tackle flooding in Plymouth’s Central Park.

The money will come from a number of funding streams including £237,000 from Plymouth City Council’s own revenue budget which pays for day-to-day running of the authority.

The council is using surplus cash from 2023/24 for what it describes as an “expected” overspend on the project and said it would not lead to any financial pressure.

Other money comes from grants the council has received for green schemes and flood alleviation, and half a million pounds has been transferred from a road improvement programme to reduce skidding.

The Central Park ponds scheme is the third phase of £9 million of improvements to the park.

Two new ponds and a sustainable drainage system have been created in the Barn Park end of Central Park to reduce flooding there and in the Stonehouse catchment area, but it has been subject to long delays because of bad weather and issues with the contractor.

At the end of last year, a petition of 3,000 names was presented to the council from angry residents who said they had not been kept informed of progress since work started in 2022.

Large areas of the park were fenced off for long periods, trees felled, and paths made inaccessible without warning, they claimed.

The council subsequently apologised for a “lack of communication”, promised monthly updates on its website and said  it would “learn lessons”.

The main engineering works have now been completed but the council says a large amount of landscaping, seeding and planting still need to be carried out.

Landscaping is an integral part of the plan to slow the flow of water running down to the Barn Park entrance.

Without the planting and landscaping, the council won’t fulfil environmental targets for the scheme.

The Barn Park area has been prone to flooding following heavy rain for decades. When complete, the pond project should use rainwater as a resource for wildlife and the community.

The scheme involves wildflower meadows, walkways, viewing platforms  and space for outdoor learning.

Work to reinstate two junior playing pitches begins this month and are expetced to take around three months. The area will be fenced off until the new grass is established.

The council said: “It’s no secret that this project has gone on longer than any of us want. As a result, and in order to get it finished as soon as possible, this week some additional funds were added to the project, courtesy of a number of funding streams.”

Work is expected to finish in late summer.