Chelsea garden promoting flood resilience opens in Wallingford
The garden's designer Ed Barsley, of the Environmental Design Studio, said: "With this garden, we wanted to demonstrate that flood resilient design needn't be a compromise."You can create spaces that are both beautiful and enriching, whatever the weather."He added that, in making the garden permanent, "we've worked hard to ensure it can endure and thrive for decades to come".
The garden is part of a resilience campaign by Flood Re - a joint initiative between the government and insurers to make flood insurance cover for households more affordable.Kelly Ostler-Coyle, of Flood Re, said: "We're thrilled that the flood-resilient garden now has a permanent home, open and accessible to the wider public."Outdoor spaces like this are vital in providing a natural first line of defence against flooding."This garden demonstrates how thoughtful choices in plants and landscape design can offer both aesthetic value and tangible protection - helping to minimise physical damage and emotional strain when floods occur."Andy Brown, joint chief executive at HR Wallingford - which owns the site - said the garden "looks magnificent"."I am sure [it] will inspire everyone who visits, as well as providing a tranquil space for those that work here," he said.
You can follow BBC Oxfordshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
30 minutes ago
- The Independent
Why thousands now face travel misery at popular airport
Flights at Birmingham Airport were suspended for over five hours on Wednesday following an emergency landing by a light aircraft. The incident, involving a Beechcraft B200 Super King Air, occurred due to landing gear problems, leading to the runway's closure from 2:40 PM until shortly before 8 PM. Three people on board the aircraft were assessed by West Midlands Ambulance Service, with one person sustaining minor injuries. The emergency caused significant delays for passengers, both those departing from and arriving at Birmingham, even after the runway reopened. The Air Accidents Investigations Branch (AAIB) has launched an investigation into the incident, with a team of experts dispatched to the scene.
BBC News
31 minutes ago
- BBC News
More teens to get their choice of uni even if they miss their grades, says Ucas
A record number of 18-year-olds are likely to get into their first choice of university this year, the head of the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (Ucas) has said - even if they narrowly miss their Jo Saxton said universities were keen to enrol UK undergraduates because there was more "uncertainty" around international student said they would "quite possibly" accept students who did not meet the conditions of their offer adding that domestic students offered universities "stability" for "financial planning".The prediction comes as thousands of students will open A-level, T-level, Btec and other level-three results next week. Dr Saxton said it was a "really, really good year to be a UK-domiciled 18-year-old that wants to go to one of our world-class universities"."I would anticipate a record number of 18-year-olds will wake up with confirmation, quite possibly even where they are near-misses," she added that universities were "recognising, actually, that a three-year undergraduate student is stability for your teaching and learning, for your university community, for your financial planning".Vivienne Stern, chief executive of Universities UK, said universities were "certainly competitive" with one another, which meant applicants had "lots of choice". Ucas says universities have made more offers this year, which it says "typically translates into more acceptances". Dr Saxton said she expected there to be "slightly fewer" places in clearing as a result - because if more places are taken up by students who have received offers, there will be fewer places to clearing system lets students search for university courses with available than 22,600 courses had listed vacancies for undergraduate students from England this week, according to a Press Association analysis of 129 were more than 3,600 courses advertised across 17 of the selective Russell Group universities. Nick Hillman, director of the Higher Education Policy Institute, said year 13 students were "well placed" to study where they wanted to."The financial plight of universities makes them very keen to fill their courses and they will be falling over themselves to sign up good potential students," he from England and Wales will pay higher tuition fees for university this year, after the sector called for help with its fees have risen from £9,250 to £9,535 for the 2025-26 academic is the first time they have gone up in England since 2017, and comes after universities said their real-terms value had have become increasingly reliant on higher fees from international students in recent years to make up for frozen domestic fees - but the number of overseas students coming to the UK has May, the regulator in England, the Office for Students, warned that more than four in 10 universities expected to be in a financial deficit by this loans have also gone up this year, which means students can borrow more to help with day-to-day living England, the maximum maintenance loan for students from England who live away from their parents outside London has increased to £10,544 a year, up from £10, said last month that the number of 18-year-olds from the UK applying to university had risen again to 328, because the total number of 18-year-olds in the UK has also grown, those applicants make up a slightly smaller proportion of the total 18-year-old population than last year (41.2%).Students in England, Wales and Northern Ireland will receive A-level and other level-three grades next Scotland, the number of pupils achieving an A, B or C grade at National 5, Higher and Advanced Higher rose across the board this Scottish Qualifications Authority also reported a reduction in the attainment gap between candidates from the most and least deprived areas. Sign up for Summer Essential, a weekly newsletter to help parents and families during the holidays.
BBC News
31 minutes ago
- BBC News
Number of empty homes on the rise across England
Across England, the number of empty homes has been steadily rising, with councils "increasingly concerned" about both the impact they have on local communities and the lost resource. "It makes you feel afraid because you don't know what's going to happen next."Ann Devereaux has cherished her home in a peaceful corner of Bristol for more than 25 years. But the property next door - empty, collapsing and overrun with pests - has become a constant source of was once just an eyesore is now a "magnet" for crime, she said."It's a place just available and open for misuse," she added."Whether it's men coming out and urinating against the wall, drug-dealing or fly-tipping."It makes me feel scared when I leave my house or come in at night. It's wearing me down emotionally."She has witnessed violence outside her front door, and the rotting smell of rubbish dumped inside the building sometimes drifts into her living room. Bristol City Council said it has ordered the owner of the building to make it Ms Devereaux and others in the tight-knit community of St Werburgh's say the situation is "only getting worse".Just months ago, the roof of the derelict property collapsed, unleashing dozens of rats into nearby gardens."It's a wasted resource, and I know there are a lot of places like this which are empty and rotting and creating real problems," said Ms city council said it is "continuing to monitor the building" and will consider further action, including stepping in to carry out safety works, if the owner does not meet their obligations. The BBC contacted the owner of the building, but had no of St Werburgh's say they want the property brought back into use urgently - and their story is not number of empty homes in England has risen over the last decade, even as the country grapples with a housing are now more than 700,000 empty homes, according to the most recent government figures. Of those, 264,884 are classed as "long-term empty", meaning no one has lived there for six months or Wales, the figure stood at 120,000 empty properties the last time the data was collated. In 2023 the Welsh Government launched a £50m National Empty Homes scheme, which offered up to £25,000 for improvements to be made to properties to make them available again. Empty homes are also viewed as a missed opportunity by housing one single night last autumn there were 4,667 people sleeping on the streets in England, according to official statistics - a near-record high and the third annual rise in a row. Bristol charity, 1625 Independent People, is trying to change Future Builders programme is transforming vacant properties into homes for young people facing homelessness to rent at a reduced cost. Becky Hopkins became homeless in the city at just 18 years old."I was completely lost, lonely, and isolated. I had feelings of self-hatred. I was worried all the time," she the programme gave Ms Hopkins a more affordable place to rent while she worked towards a more stable future. "After having a stable place, I really could focus on working on my mental health and building better habits."Now 21, she is training to become a Royal Navy engineer."It's a transformation I didn't think was possible," she said. Local councils are on the frontline of the empty homes issue, and leaders are now calling for stronger powers and resources to bring more back into officers are tasked with tracing the owners of empty properties so they can be held Fudge leads the team at South Gloucestershire Council, which has brought 47 properties back into use so far this year."If left empty, they can lead to a spiral of decline, neglect and decay in a community," he said."We initially try to engage with the owner, but when it becomes a detrimental impact to the wider neighbourhood, then we have to take enforcement action to stop that decline." Law change call If the property has been empty for more than two years, and the owner is not cooperating, councils can apply for an Empty Dwelling Management Order (EDMO).If granted, the council does not gain ownership of the property, but gets the right to manage and potentially improve it, recouping costs through this power is rarely utilised because of the long and complex process England, between 2017 and 2020, only 20 decisions were made on EDMO applications, according to government Local Government Association is calling for changes in the law to make it easier for councils to take over the management of vacant homes. The group Action on Empty Homes is also campaigning to bring empty properties back into manager Chris Bailey said: "Every empty home is a lost opportunity to improve the life of a family that's currently homeless."These are homes which are relevant, in the right places - in the middle of towns and cities where people want to live - where services exist already."It's not a case of building a whole new town and waiting for 10 years for it to happen, these are homes that are available now, they could be brought back into use within a year."But it is not always straightforward. When homeowners die, their property often remains empty during the probate process, during which their assets are legally assessed and Sadler inherited her mother's house in 2011."It's a huge privilege to inherit a home," she said. "But it's bittersweet when it's such a close family member, because the home is them and they are the home."The property had fallen into disrepair, and Ms Sadler struggled to afford the mounting costs of essential renovations. As a result, the house has been empty while work is ongoing."We found more and more things that needed work," she said."You find yourself thinking - how am I going to do this?"Ms Sadler has secured a loan from Lendology which works with councils to offer low-interest loans to bring empty homes back into now hopes to complete the renovations and rent out the property through the Homes for Ukraine scheme. A spokesperson for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said: "We are determined to fix the housing crisis we have inherited, and we know that having too many empty homes in an area can have a significant impact on local communities."That's why we are giving councils stronger powers to increase council tax on long-term empty homes alongside removing tax incentives for short-term lets, and we continue to consider further action." If you want to contact us regarding this story, email westinvestigations@ BBC West on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630.
