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Flood schemes cash from government welcomed by council
The agency has announced that it will be spending £68 million on projects across East Anglia,
of which flood schemes in Suffolk have been allocated more than £14 million.Flood relief
schemes across Suffolk will receive a share of the money from the Environment
Agency.Suffolk County Council projects to receive funding are the Sudbury Surface Water
Flood Alleviation Scheme, which receives £300,000, while Leiston Surface Flood Water
receives £202,000.

The Sudbury scheme will add another flood storage basin to one SCC constructed in 2022
which will reduce the flood risk for more than 20 homes.The Leiston scheme will provide
property level flood protection to a total of 40 households in the town and some surrounding
villages that have either experienced internal flooding, or are at high risk of flooding.
Homeowners have already received an initial survey and installation is expected to
commence in the summer. Suffolk County Council is contributing £58,000 of project
management support to deliver this work.

We have also completed a SuDs in Schools project, working in partnership with Anglian Water
and Department for Education at three schools, including the High School in Leiston. The
project has resulted in flood attenuation measures such as flood storage basins, rain gardens,
and planters that store water from downpipes. It has also provided educational resources so
pupils can use the features to study the curriculum. The overall project will cost £190,000,
with £180,000 of this secured from external partners.

The Benacre and Kessingland flood risk management scheme receives £10,105,000 of funding
from the Environment Agency.This is a £64m project that will ensure the A12 is protected
from coastal flooding, it is being implemented by Waveney, Lower Yare and Lothingland
Internal Drainage Board but Suffolk County Council has provided £2 million and agreed to
underwrite a further £2.7m to enable it to proceed.Flood resilience schemes in Needham
Market and Debenham as a result of Storm Babet also get funding – £560,000 in Needham
Market and £81,000.These projects, led by the Environment Agency, will fund flood doors
and other measures to prevent flood water entering individual properties.

Suffolk County Council supported the EA to identify affected homes and promote the
availability of this funding.The council’s Flood Investigations and Grants Team also

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administers a separate grant fund specifically to support those properties flooded during
Storm Babet. This grant closes for new applications in May.

Suffolk Highways launches weeds and grass management programme for 2025
Spring has sprung and Suffolk Highways has commenced its summer maintenance works,
which will see teams cut thousands of miles of grass verges and treat 2,300 miles of weeds.
Grass cutting is scheduled to start in May, with the grass verges alongside A and B roads across
Suffolk being cut first and receiving two cuts each summer.Verges alongside smaller roads,
such as the county’s C and U class roads, will be cut once during the summer season.
Cutting is typically undertaken by tractors with a flail as this is the most efficient and effective
way to undertake the vegetation works and dry weather is required as, similarly to household
mowers, wet grass can clog the machinery.These cuts are solely for safety purposes and
district and borough councils will usually supplement these with amenity cuts throughout the
year.Suffolk Highways does not cut village greens, parks and open spaces, or rural verges that
are not adjacent to the road.

Weed treatments have already commenced across the county.Two treatments are applied to
weeds in urban areas across Suffolk annually if it is deemed that the weeds may pose a safety
risk due to obscuring visibility for road users or causing damage to pavements, kerbs, or
surrounding walls.Weeds in rural areas are not included in the annual weed treatment
programme but will be treated on a site-specific basis if they are identified as being harmful
or noxious.All weed treatments are weather dependent and cannot be applied in high winds
or if rain is forecast due to this reducing the effectiveness of the treatment.

Glyphosate is currently used for the treatment as this is not harmful to people or pets and
has proved to be more effective than alternatives previously trialled in Suffolk.However, a
substitute for this is still being sought to support Suffolk County Council’s continued ambition
to protect and enhance the environment.Further information on the grass cutting
programme and weed treatment programme, including the planned dates for this to take
place in local areas, can be viewed on the council’s website.
6,000 on-street and community EV chargepoints for Suffolk

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Suffolk County Council, in partnership with operator Believ, will deliver around 6,000 new
public electric vehicle (EV) chargepoints across the county.Beginning in Summer 2025,
thousands will be installed on residential streets, with many locations suggested by local
residents following a survey last year.The county council has also worked closely with district
and borough councils and communities to identify further suitable sites.

The majority will be bollard-style units at the kerbside, suitable for long-stay or overnight
charging. Drivers will be able to benefit from an overnight off-peak tariff, and a dedicated
resident’s tariff which features discounted charging at all times.Public car parks will also see
a number of rapid and ultra-rapid chargepoint installations, allowing for quicker charging.The
county council has made this project possible with a successful £5.3 million bid to the
government’s Local Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (LEVI) fund. This roll-out will use a
proportion of this funding with a further £16 million of funding provided by operator, Believ.

Suffolk County Council is the first local authority in England to both award their LEVI main
funding tender, and subsequently sign a contract with an operator, meaning the installation
of chargers can begin at pace.Following a competitive procurement exercise, Believ will
install, operate and maintain the chargepoints, which deliver 100% renewable energy.

They will also support the installation of rapid charging infrastructure at key community
locations, building on the county council’s successful ‘Plug In Suffolk’ project which launched
in 2018.In advance of all on-street chargepoint installations, local residents will receive letters
with details of the work due to take place, including details on timescales.
Nature recovery plan aims to revive Suffolk’s wildlife
A new strategy has been drafted to help restore and enhance nature across Suffolk, and a
consultation has been launched (Wednesday 16 April) for you to share your views.Suffolk’s
Local Nature Recovery Strategy is one of 48 across the country, aimed at addressing the
decline in nature and identifying a network of areas to help it recover.Together these
strategies will form a national ‘nature network’, proposing actions such as the creation of
wetlands, restoration of peatlands, planting of trees and hedgerows, and more sustainable
management of existing woodlands and other habitats like grasslands.

Suffolk County Council has been leading on a strategy for the county, working closely with
other local authorities, nature experts, and a wide range of interested organisations.This has
been coordination with Norfolk, through the Norfolk and Suffolk Nature Recovery
Partnership. The two counties are working together to connect and expand existing areas that

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are important for wildlife and connect across the landscape.The consultation on the Suffolk
Local Nature Recovery Strategy is open to everyone in Suffolk – residents, landowners, land
managers, farmers, businesses and the wider community.There is also the opportunity to
view and respond to maps of local areas, where specific measures to help nature could be
taken.Both opportunities to provide feedback will close on 11 June 2025, and can be found
at www.suffolk.gov.uk/consultations.
Infrastructure reform could silence Suffolk’s communities in ‘energy onslaught’
Suffolk County Council has serious concerns about proposed reforms to the Planning and
Infrastructure Bill, as announced by government (Wednesday 23 April).It is part of plans to
cut by a year, the delivery of clean energy projects, public transport links, and other Nationally
Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIPs).This has potential for a significant impact on
Suffolk’s communities who are at the forefront of many NSIPs including solar farms, offshore
energy and nuclear.

One of the proposals is to remove the duty on project promoters to consult and engage with
communities before a project is presented to the Planning Inspectorate. Further, the duty to
have regard to any comments on voluntary consultations undertaken by a promoter is also
proposed to be removed.Instead, there will be statutory guidance for developers with an
expectation that consultation and engagement will still take place, prior to submitting an
application.Suffolk County Council will be submitting written evidence to the Bill Committee
outlining its concerns and opposition to the proposed changes.