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October 2005

Halcrow FRaME'd!

Halcrow and UK-based Discovery Software, are producing a web based manual to promote best practise in flood risk management in estuary environments.

The Best Practice Manual (BPM) is being produced as part of the FRaME (Flood Risk and Management in Estuaries) project, which brings together a consortium of organisations from across Europe, including the UK, the Netherlands and Belgium.

The manual will help promote the uptake of sustainable flood risk management strategies, especially those involving innovative solutions, such as managed realignment, both in terms of retreating the defended line and in accepting risks and revising land use. A key element of this approach is the concept of Flood Control Areas; areas which flood periodically to relieve flooding pressures elsewhere in the estuary system.

Nigel Pontee, project manager for Halcrow commented: ‘A major challenge of this project will be to produce a website that is well visited and appeals to a wide audience. Using the Halcrow experience gained in a number of UK estuary flood risk strategies, we will be working with our European colleagues to ensure that the best practice learnt from existing schemes is widely promoted.’

The web site will be live from early 2006 and will contain information on various aspects of flood risk management including alternative land use strategies; stakeholder consultation, implications of the EU birds and habitats directives; and costs/benefits.

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