Sharing plans for a flood-hit area of Taverham Photo: Bill Smith

People have been given the chance to find out about a scheme to reduce the risk of flooding in the area where they live.

More than £250,000 is set to be spent to prevent flooding in the Suter Drive area of Thorpe Marriott, where homes and gardens have in the past been swamped by rainwater that pours off surrounding roads and roofs during storms.

In place of a traditional drainage scheme, Anglian Water, in partnership with Broadland District Council and Norfolk County Council, is planning to improve the area’s natural drainage in what is known as a sustainable drainage or SUDS system. The scheme will see a number of basins introduced to the area to capture flood water and prevent it from running down roads towards houses and gardens.

One proposal is for a basin on the roundabout at the top of Badgers Brook Road, with others on nearby public open space. Water would also be routed through an open space next to Suter’s Pond.It will be the first time a sustainable drainage system has been used as a flooding solution in Norfolk and will be used as a pilot scheme for future projects. An exhibition explaining the proposals was held at Thorpe Marriott village hall.

Ian Williams, technical delivery manager for Anglian Water, said: “With a traditional drainage scheme, you’ve got extensive excavation, road closures and lots of disruption. We are trying to replicate the natural environment and there’s great amenity value by constructing these basins. The sustainable drainage system could be the way forward.”

It is estimated that the Suter Drive area floods every 10 years.