Proven results

Blandford Ditch is an overflow channel for flood waters on the Basingstoke Canal in Hampshire. The ditch begins at the downstream end of a concrete culvert and chute that leads from the Basingstoke Canal off-take structure.

The culvert discharges onto a steep concrete chute and down onto a historically armoured bed. Over many years, floodwaters have scoured out the armoured bed, leading to a heavily incised channel, with dangerously undercut banks and overhanging trees offering minimal bio-diversity.

The Clients key drivers for the project were: reducing the erosive force of waters entering the channel;  creating a shallower river gradient; and ultimately creating a self-regulating, diverse ditch able to operate in periods of both high and low lows from the Basingstoke Canal.

FiveRivers was awarded a Design & Build contract after a successful tender process. An outline options appraisal was undertaken before the preferred solution was taken through detail design, consenting, to successful delivery.