Balsall Heath Water Savers
with Balsall Heath Forum / Green Team
•Balsall Heath is located to the
South of the hottest part of the
urban heat island
•Tornado in 2005 - £50m
damage
•150 trees planted April 2010 to
replace damaged – CCAP
funding
Balsall Heath Forum – the Green
Team:
•Garden the area
•Encourage residents to
participate in making it greener
•Planted 150 trees that will shade
streets, walkways and buildings as
a result of CCAP funding
Balsall Heath ‘Water Savers’ will have the following benefits:
•buffer rain storms, reducing run off to drains and the River Rea
•reduce the use of drinking water for maintaining gardens in summer
•make parks and gardens more resistant to water stress
•spread awareness of how to combat water stress to families and home
gardeners
•encourage sustainable growing of vegetables, as an alternative to
increasingly expensive imported vegetables.
Project Plan
1. Water Savers Kit
• Demonstration at Community Garden Centre on St Paul’s
Road. Extended to community buildings, schools, churches,
mosques, housing association flats and some private houses.
• Collect rainwater from roofs, to store and water plants.
• A compost bin will recycle organic wastes into compost, to
increase the water holding capacity and fertility of the soil.
• Kit contains rain butts, diverter pipes, watering cans, compost
bins, containers, herbs, vegetable seeds.
• Cost; £4,000
2. Drought Resistant Planting
• Drought resistant shrubs and plants for park and green spaces
to make them water resistant, in areas further away form water
sources. Bare ground will be covered with bark or creeping
ground-cover plants.
• Cost; £1,000
Adaptation
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Sustainable water use
Flood protection – reduced run-off into rivers
Sustainable food consumption
Resilient plants/green infrastructure
Reduce impact of urban heat island + mitigate future cc