Wren Close- Property Flood Resilience

On July the 25th 2021, a significant rainfall event took place in Heathfield resulting in at least 13 properties suffering from internal flooding and a further 4 that reported external flooding. The affected properties were primarily located within Wren Close and surrounding roads, situated near to Heathfield town centre (post code TN21 8HG and OS coordinates of 558314, 121411).

Following the event in July 2021, the LLFA has now commissioned a flood study to identify opportunities to reduce local flood risk, alongside the wider catchment. This is a longer-term project that will develop potential options to take forward in future funding years.

On August 17th 2022, the same community and a number of the properties impacted in 2021, were subject to further internal flooding as a result of a significant surface water event. This has understandably caused substantial impacts on the residents, some of whom had not yet returned to their properties following the 2021 flooding.

The LLFA has therefore chosen to pursue the option of developing Property Flood Resilience measures to 17 at risk properties. This will protect the properties from similar surface water events during the development of the flood study project which is ongoing and longer term.