Sustainable drainage brings flood resilience and biodiversity to Lightmoor Village Primary School
Project overview
Client: Telford & Wrekin Council
Location: Lightmoor Village Primary School, Telford
Solution: 5 SuDS & BNG Planters
Roof catchment: 700m²
Attenuation capacity: 1.75m³
As part of a wider programme of measures to reduce flood risk at Lightmoor Village Primary School, BluWater Solutions installed five SuDS & BNG Planters to manage rainwater from the school roof while bringing biodiversity, amenity and educational value into the playground.
Connected directly to existing roof downpipes, the five planters manage runoff from a 700m² catchment area and provide a combined 1.75m³ of attenuation storage.
The installation complements the wider drainage improvements undertaken at the school, including underground storage tanks and permeable paving, while providing a visible, nature-based element that pupils can interact with and learn from.
Requirement
Water pooling within the playground at Lightmoor Village Primary School was causing problems for nearby buildings and highlighted the need to improve surface water management across the site.
Telford & Wrekin Council introduced a wider programme of measures designed to reduce flood risk and help rainwater drain more effectively.
However, the characteristics of the school grounds presented a challenge. Much of the playground is impermeable and the site is sloping, leaving limited space and opportunity for more conventional landscape-led SuDS interventions such as rain gardens.
The existing environment also offered relatively limited opportunities for enhancing biodiversity.
The project therefore needed a solution that could contribute to sustainable surface water management without consuming valuable playground space, while ideally delivering wider benefits for the school environment.
Challenges and constraints
Delivering SuDS within an operational school site required the solution to work around several practical constraints.
With space at a premium, any new infrastructure needed to fit into the existing playground without the extensive groundworks or footprint associated with larger landscape-based interventions.
The programme was equally important. Installation had to be carefully coordinated within the school holidays, creating a tight window in which to complete the retrofit while minimising disruption to pupils and staff.
The SuDS planters also needed to complement the wider flood-risk measures being introduced across the site rather than act as a standalone solution.
These constraints made compact, above-ground SuDS solutions particularly appropriate, with the opportunity to intercept roof runoff at source while adding environmental and visual value to the school grounds.
Solution
BluWater Solutions installed five SuDS & BNG Planters, connected directly to downpipes from the school roof.
Together, the planters manage runoff from approximately 700m² of roof area and provide 1.75m³ of attenuation storage, temporarily retaining rainfall and supporting more sustainable management of surface water.
Their compact footprint made the units well suited to the impermeable playground and areas where space for alternative SuDS features was limited. The retrofit approach also enabled installation to be completed within the restricted school-holiday programme, helping minimise disruption to everyday school activities.
Importantly, the planters strengthen the wider sustainable drainage approach at Lightmoor Village Primary School.
Alongside other intervention measures like underground storage and permeable paving, the planted units introduce an above-ground, nature-based component. This provides additional biodiversity and amenity value while making sustainable drainage visible and accessible within the school environment.
Creating a living learning opportunity
Once installed, the SuDS planters became more than drainage infrastructure.
Pupils took part in a hands-on planting and engagement session led by Terry Smithson, BioScapes Group Head of Nature-based Solutions, helping to bring the planters to life.
The activity gave the children a practical introduction to sustainable drainage, providing an opportunity to understand where rainwater goes, why managing it matters and how compact habitat planters can contribute to biodiversity.
By involving pupils directly in the planting, the project connected the engineering purpose of the SuDS units with the natural environment, transforming functional infrastructure into an ongoing learning feature within the school grounds.
"Our pupils have loved getting involved in planting the new SuDS planters. It's given them a real understanding of where rainwater goes and why it matters, and they've enjoyed learning about biodiversity along the way. It's been a wonderful, practical way for the children to see how the Council works to look after our environment, and they're really proud of the part they've played in the project."
“Thank you for a very well executed engagement session. I think the children got a lot out of it.”
Outcome
The five SuDS & BNG Planters now form part of the wider approach to managing surface water and reducing flood risk at Lightmoor Village Primary School.
The installation provides:
- 1.75m³ of attenuation storage across five units
- Management of rainwater from a 700m² school roof catchment
- A compact retrofit SuDS solution appropriate for a constrained, impermeable and sloping site
- An additional nature-based component supporting the school’s wider drainage measures
- Biodiversity and amenity benefits through new planting and 10 integrated wildlife habitats
- A visible demonstration of sustainable drainage for pupils
- A practical opportunity for environmental education and engagement
The project demonstrates how carefully selected SuDS can add value to a wider flood-management scheme, particularly on challenging sites where space and opportunities for traditional nature-based interventions are limited.
By integrating water management, biodiversity and education within the same compact footprint, BluWater Solutions helped turn essential drainage infrastructure into an asset for the whole school community.
