A £500,000 scheme has been launched to deliver a nature-based solution to flooding in Powys.

The Severn Rivers Trust, with partners from Powys County Council, Shropshire Council and the Environment Agency has launched the start of the Guilsfield Brook Project.

The project aims to deliver targeted nature-based solutions across the Guilsfield catchment to reducing the flood risk to several homes and roads.

Nigel Brinn, corporate director of economy & environment at Powys County Council, said: “We note the important work of the River Severn Partnership and are keen to see how we can work constructively across the border with this much-needed innovative and ambitious partnership.

“The river of course recognises no such boundaries, and the co-ordinated efforts of all key stakeholders is needed to make the catchment wide improvements that we all seek.”

The project is the first joint work between English and Welsh partners within the River Severn Partnership.

It is intended to test and deliver the partnership’s new ways of working in reducing flood risk along the Severn catchment.

In addition to solutions in reducing flooding, the scheme hopes to provide approaches which help residents understand and deal with the challenges faced by climate change.

It aspires to do this by providing information on the economic benefits of soil and water management on rural land, discussing the subject with landowners to understand the best methods to work together.

The project marks the start of a long-term catchment-based approach under the River Severn Partnership.

Mark Barrow, Shropshire Council’s executive director of place and economy, and chair of the River Severn Partnership, said: “The recent flooding over the last few years has re-emphasised the need for different approaches.

“No one organisation or community can address the challenges we face with the River Severn.

“The River Severn Partnership is about bringing everyone together to think and act in an integrated way, right from the source in Wales to the sea in Gloucestershire.

“We are really excited this project marks the start of a shared journey to address the challenges but also opportunities we face with Britain’s longest river.”