SSEN has joined Network Rail, Oxfordshire County Council and the North East Cotswold Farmer Cluster to fund the farmer-led Evenlode Landscape Recovery project, directing more than £3m into nature-based flood measures to safeguard local infrastructure.

The partnership will support landscape-scale natural flood management across the River Evenlode catchment, aiming to cut the risk to electricity networks, rail lines, bridges and roads in the Cotswolds and reduce disruption from power cuts, cancelled trains and road closures.

More than £3m from the partners will flow directly to those delivering land-use change through Evenlode Landscape Recovery (ELR), demonstrating how public and private organisations can invest in nature to manage long-term climate risks.

Instead of relying solely on hard engineering such as embankments, drainage and pumping, the collaboration will back farmers to restore habitats that naturally slow, store and absorb water. This includes creating new woodland, meadows and wetlands on less productive land that frequently faces flooding or drought.

-- Advertisement --

By partnering with ELR, SSEN is joining the UK's largest farmer-led nature recovery scheme, where farmers are paid to change land management practices as part of a £100m funding package secured with Natural England and the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA).

For those taking part, the scheme offers a dependable income while maintaining food production. The approach is expected to lower long-term maintenance needs and minimise disruption for energy customers, rail passengers and nearby communities.

Chris Bratt, SSEN's Director of Asset Management, said: "We have critical electricity infrastructure in the Evenlode catchment, including substations that must remain operational during extreme weather.

"By investing in nature-based solutions upstream, we can reduce long-term flood risk to these assets. This proactive approach strengthens network resilience, reduces the risk of power cuts and, over time, helps avoid costs that would otherwise eventually end up being passed on to customers."

Tim Field, Executive Director of Evenlode Landscape Recovery, said: "This partnership marks a new chapter in how we think about flood prevention and asset protection. By working with SSEN, Network Rail and Oxfordshire County Council we're supporting infrastructure resilience with practical changes on the ground.

"Farmers are uniquely placed to manage water at source. By restoring habitats and improving soil structure across the catchment, we can reduce flood risk downstream while strengthening farm businesses for the long term."

ELR is among the first landscape recovery schemes in the UK to move into full delivery and is backed by more than £100m in public funding. Over 20 years, more than 3,000 hectares of habitat across Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire and Warwickshire will be restored by a group of over 50 farmers through the North East Cotswold Farmer Cluster.