Flood Re Opens Public Flood Resilience Gardens UK-Wide

A permanent flood resilience garden has opened at Howbery Business Park in Oxfordshire, providing free public access to nature-based solutions that demonstrate how outdoor spaces can help reduce flood risks while maintaining aesthetic appeal. This garden builds on the silver medal-winning Flood Resilience Garden debuted at the 2024 Chelsea Flower Show and is designed by Dr. Ed Barsley with contributions from Naomi Slade and Belderbos Landscapes. The garden features functional elements such as a pond that acts as a sump to collect water and a smart rainwater tank that can be remotely controlled to drain ahead of predicted rainfall. Sponsored by Flood Re, a joint government and insurer initiative, the garden supports efforts to make flood insurance more affordable and promotes the Build Back Better scheme, which offers qualifying homeowners up to £10,000 for installing flood resilience measures. The project addresses the urgent need for flood mitigation in the UK, where one in four homes is at risk due to climate change-driven extremes of heat and rainfall and underinvestment in water infrastructure. Officials emphasize that resilient garden designs like this can lessen flood impacts on lives, property, and infrastructure while providing a blueprint for widespread adoption of natural flood defenses.