Newcastle Blue Green City (NBGC) aims to better protect the whole city centre from multiple sources of flood risk.
The city is important to everyone who uses it, so the sustainable drainage (SuDS) solutions we hope to use will not only better protect the city from flooding but enhance placemaking in the local area too, by improving biodiversity, ecology and amenity.
By using innovative sustainable drainage techniques, the project will help deliver the Council’s wider visions on climate change, carbon reduction and making the city a more accessible and greener place to live, work and visit.
The Blue Green Vision is to…
“Create environmental and social opportunities throughout the heart of our city using innovative flood and water management techniques that make us more resilient to climate change.”
In summer 2012 flooding events impacted the City in a way that has not been seen in our lifetime. The heavier rainfall we experienced is a direct result of climate change, and such events will get more frequent, likely to cause more disruption and damage in the future.
Urban area, like the city centre is more vulnerable to surface water, due to the amount hard standing area. The topography of the city increases the risk too.
Several historical watercourses were covered over as the city grew and water is now managed though engineered highway drainage and sewer networks. These do not have capacity to cope with extreme rainfall events caused by climate change.
We will also consider the impact rising sea levels will have on the City, which affects the peak height of the tidal River Tyne. This will continue to impact historic buildings and infrastructure on The Quayside, as experienced in December 2013 and 2023.
A map of historic watercourses across a present day map of the city
If you have any questions about the Newcastle Blue Green City project: