The Aire Resilience Company (ARC)

ARC will help communities and businesses become more resilient against the growing impact of climate change.

Across Yorkshire, records have already been broken for extreme temperatures, and highest rainfall in the last decade. Hard work is underway across the region to achieve net zero emissions and to mitigate against the long-term impact of climate change. Just as important is the work to increase our resilience to the changes that are already happening now and in the future.

Nature-based Solutions will provide a proactive ‘first-line of defence’ against potential flooding, enabling the landscape to absorb and retain rainfall where it lands, slowing down its movement toward the River Aire. In doing so, it prevents the river level from reaching a peak that would threaten Leeds’ flood defences further downstream. Working with nature in this way brings a raft of additional environmental benefits, making it an effective means of mitigating the impacts of climate change. These include:

• Increased Climate Resilience in the face of more intense weather systems bringing more frequent periods of heavy rain and at other times, drought.
• Reduced flood risk locally and to Leeds city centre.
• Carbon capture from tree planting and improved soil structure and health.
• Enhanced habitat and biodiversity from tree planting and use of multi-species grasslands.
• Improved soil health increases the productivity of the land and contributes toward reduced erosion.
• Improved water quality from slowing the movement of rainwater into the River Aire.

How will we secure sustainable investment in nature-based solutions?

ARC offers businesses the opportunity to support local farmers and landowners in strengthening climate resilience across Leeds and the Aire Valley, whilst helping to create a greener, more sustainable place to do business in the future.

Using a blend of public funds and contributions from Business Partners who will invest in flood resilience and the wider benefits generated through natural flood management techniques across the catchment.

Public funding enhances existing, and delivers new, nature-based solutions in the Aire catchment, building on the delivery already in place through the work of the Leeds FAS Project. Whilst ongoing private funding from businesses, will ensure these measures remain in place and are maintained for the future.

The relationship with Leeds Flood Alleviation Scheme (Leeds FAS)

ARC’s delivery ensures Leeds FAS can maintain the same standard of flood protection to Leeds, despite climate change bringing significantly higher peak river levels in the future. Predictive climate and hydrological modelling shows that by 2069, a storm equivalent to 2015’s Storm Eva, a 1 in-200-year storm causing over £500m of damage in the Leeds city region alone, could see the River Aire 8% higher as it enters Leeds.

ARC’s role is to intercept and slow the progress of rainwater falling above Leeds toward the river system. In doing so it will lower the ‘peak flow’, the highest level the river reaches, ensuring Leeds FAS continues to offer protection against flooding.

Since 2019, the Leeds FAS NFM project has delivered significant amounts of tree and hedgerow planting, leaky dams and soil aeration across the Aire catchment. This has had a huge impact on the effectiveness of the Leeds FAS already – but more work was, and is, required to reach the flood reduction targets necessary for long term protection. Work is also needed to maintain these new interventions over the coming decades, to make sure that they’re working as they should, for when we need them most. ARC will deliver the necessary NFM to ensure that these flood reduction targets are met and will work with Business Partners to ensure they can be maintained and monitored to provide protection over the coming decades.

Where will Natural Flood Management take place?

For NFM to be effective, it must slow the flow of water entering the river. Informed by extensive hydrological modelling, ARC will target interventions from as far upstream as possible, right to its source in Malham, and across its many tributaries.

ARC's offer to Business Partners

By supporting ARC, Business Partners benefit from reduced flood risk in the Aire Valley and Leeds city region protecting supply chains, staff, infrastructure and local communities. Investment also delivers wider environmental gains, such as enhanced biodiversity and water quality in the Aire valley, strengthening the region’s long term resilience.

ARC also provides a package of benefits to Business Partners, including:

• An annual impact report outlining the progress and impact on flood risk reduction
• An annual report on the CIC.
• The opportunity to participate in volunteering days with our delivery partners.
• Regular stakeholder meetings to engage with the programme team and network with other Business Partners.
• Representation via a Business Partner representative on the board of Directors
• Attendance at an annual site visit to view some of the measures delivered.
• ARC will endeavour to provide acknowledgement to its Business Partners as opportunities arise, and as standard, they will receive recognition on the ARC website.

ARC and The Rivers Trust extend their sincere thanks to all the businesses that are supporting ARC. Please visit the ARC website to find out more about ARC and the business partners who have enabled it to happen.

The Rivers Trust would like to thank Sainsbury’s and Hogan Lovells in particular for providing invaluable support in completing this project. Their dedication to environmental stewardship provided the essential resources and expertise needed to ensure the project's success.