Cumbria Innovative Flood Resilience (CiFR) project - Stockdalewath Update – September 2025

 Cumbria Innovative Flood Resilience (CiFR) project - Stockdalewath Update – September 2025

Works completed to date

• Drop-in session at Raughton Head School was held on 25 September 2024; this allowed both Lead Local Flood Authorities (Cumberland Council and Westmorland & Furness Council) to obtain feedback on the draft Section 19 flood investigation report, and for householders to discuss future flood risk management options including property flood resilience, and to get help signing up for flood alerts and flood warnings. The Section 19 report is now finalised and published.
• Initial property flood resilience (PFR) surveys were undertaken at the majority of properties. A business case is being prepared to bid for funding for the installation of PFR.
• Concerns raised by local residents regarding the switch to digital phones lines and the resulting lack of communications during a power cut (in homes with no mobile signal) have been escalated to Cumbria Local Resilience Forum and national government. This is a concern shared by other rural areas and the CiFR project team are exploring possible options for the area. A site survey has been conducted and technical solutions have been actively investigated with a solution to the issue being developed.
• Modelling to look at how to manage flow is ongoing.
• Farm visits have been undertaken and potential locations identified for Natural Flood Management (NFM) and water quality monitoring upstream.
• A water-level recorder has been installed on the Roe Beck, and another on the Ive tributary. This will give parallel measurements for the upper catchments of the Roe and Ive to give a better understanding of flood response downstream. A system has also been installed on Grise Beck to monitor any water quality benefits once NFM works have taken place.
• Newsletters have been produced and distributed in March and June 2025 to update local residents.
• Grant prospectus for delivery of NFM works has been published, and applications assessed.
  
  

Next Steps

• Finalise formal Grant Agreement for NFM delivery with successful applicant .Details of the delivery partner will be shared once the agreement is finalised.
• Continue to explore options to improve mobile connectivity and communication in the Stockdalewath area.
• Community drop-in session arranged for 15^th September at Raughton Head Primary School, 2.30-6.30pm, to provide a more detailed update.
• Modelling shows that NFM on the Ive has a greater effect than on the Roe due to the timing of the two watercourses, focus for landowner engagement is reflecting this.

Future works

• Delivery of NFM interventions via grant recipient.
• Provision of telecoms resilience infrastructure is under way and currently going through the fundholders finance processes before work commences.
  
  

Challenges / Opportunities

• There is a feeling locally that flood risk management authorities have not delivered fast enough on previous commitments to find ways to reduce the flood risk to the community.
• Works to rebuild the wall near the bridge in Stockdalewath have been paused to assess the impact.

Further information
A further update will be provided following the next Cumbria Strategic Risk Management Authority Steering Group meeting in Winter 2025.The project team can be contacted via This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.