Issue date: 12 November 2025
A natural flood management scheme in the Upper Beeding area is the first project to benefit from an investment from West Sussex County Council as part of an overall planned £2.5 million drive to boost nature recovery.
The Ouse and Adur Rivers Trust (OART) will benefit from £100k over the next 5 years towards the Adur Adaptation Project, a 10-year partnership project, working with natural processes to improve the condition and function of the River Adur and reduce the impact of flooding.
The project will benefit residents of the Adur Valley by helping to equip the area to deal with the increased risk of flooding caused by climate change.
OART is working with the Environment Agency and West Sussex County Council on the project which seeks to reduce peak water flows by 10% by introducing a nature-based flood management scheme.
The £2.5 million planned county council investment in nature recovery and climate resilience is part of a wider £10m capital investment earmarked to protect the environment, agreed by the Full Council in February 2024.
Councillor Deborah Urquhart, West Sussex County Council Cabinet Member for Environment and Climate Change, said: “Many areas of the county have experienced firsthand the destruction and inconvenience flooding can cause. The Upper Beeding and Bramber area is at risk of flooding regularly unless action is taken to slow down and store more water.
“Our contribution towards this nature-based scheme will help with the creation of wetland habitat and floodplain woodland to create water storage in the landscape. This will protect the environment by making the area more resilient against climate change, enhancing biodiversity and improving water quality.”
WATCH Deborah speaking about the project.
The investment comes as the county council has recently published its Local Flood Risk Management Strategy 2025–2030 to set out how it will manage local flood risks from surface water and groundwater.
The strategy uses a catchment-based approach to managing flood risk as well as recognising the role of nature-based solutions for managing water. The Upper Adur where this project is located has been identified as a priority catchment area.
Deborah Urquhart recently visited the area to help volunteers with the creation of a ‘leaky dam’, alongside the county council’s Leader, Paul Marshall, and Chief Executive, Leigh Whitehouse.
A leaky dam is a simple, nature-based structure built across small streams or drainage channels to slow down the flow of water without completely blocking it. These dams are typically made from natural materials like logs, branches, and brushwood, and they allow water to ‘leak’ through or around them gradually.
Councillor Paul Marshall said: “Protecting the environment underpins everything we do as a county council, and we take seriously the commitments made in Our Council Plan and Climate Change Strategy.
“This investment is the first of many initiatives we plan to support through our ongoing work with key local partners. Through this series of investments, we aim to help the county mitigate and adapt to the effects of climate change by using the natural environment around us.”
WATCH Paul speaking about the project.
Peter King, Director of the Ouse & Adur Rivers Trust, said: “We are delighted to be working with West Sussex County Council and the Environment Agency to deliver projects which provide multiple benefits across the Adur Valley. From reducing the impact of flooding to mitigating drought and improving wetland habitat for a variety of species this partnership will enable positive change at the scale it is needed to boost nature recovery and provide local resilience against some of the impacts of climate change”
Find out more about the climate action the county council is taking by signing up to our monthly Environment and Climate Change eNewsletter.
Find out more about the Adur Adaptation Project, including volunteering opportunities, at: https://oart.org.uk/projects/adur-adaptation-project
