Catchment to Coast is working with partners and local people at sites across Southend and Thurrock to improve resilience to drought, flooding and coastal erosion.
93% of residents agree it’s important to take action now to address the impacts of climate change
We asked residents what they thought about the risks of flooding and droughts. There is strong support for projects that would make Southend and Thurrock more resilient to the effects of climate change.
This includes innovative new approaches like leaky dams and rainwater harvesting systems as well as traditional engineered solutions like groynes and sea walls.
We’re taking a catchment-based approach in this project. This means that we’re considering the entire journey of water, from when it falls out of our skies, to when it reaches the sea at our coast.
What we’re doing on our sites across the catchment.
06/10/2025: Roundabout attenuation design finalised
Our roundabout attenuation design has been finalised. Work is being done to schedule the works to deliver this measure.
06/10/2025: Leaky dams: finalised designs
We have finalised designs for our proposed leaky dams and are obtaining the relevant permits from the Environment Agency and Natural England for the installation to start. As well as traditional leaky dams made from logs, we are planning to build dams made of mycelium-filled bags to trial the use of mycelium to improve water quality.
06/10/2025: Camera survey
We performed a CCTV camera survey on 22 September. We surveyed a manhole on the site which showed us that we won’t be able to use it as an outfall for the proposed pond, so we will need to create a new one. We have altered our proposed design and are waiting for approvals. We will then move on to adding more details once the fundamentals are agreed.
22/07/2025: Wet woodlands rethink
We have been informed by an ecological survey that the change in hydrology in Belfairs Wood would have a negative impact on surrounding trees. This doesn’t mean we won’t use wet woodlands here, but it does mean we are going to have to rethink locations and how we use this measure.
02/07/2025: Roundabout and regenerative agriculture
Our roundabout plans are in the design stage. The regenerative agricultural plans for this area have not proved possible.
02/07/2025: Planning permission
This will not now fit into our timeframe for the project, due to planning permission refusals.
Catchment to Coast is a collaborative project, working with all sorts of partners and with the community too. You can find out more about all the great people we’re working with on our partners page.
Read all about the people and events connected to Catchment to Coast.
There are many different ways you can get involved in Catchment to Coast, by adopting one of our measures, coming to an event or sharing your stories and opinions. You can also help reduce flooding and drought risks, or simply read and learn more.
