At Bucklers View in Cowes, Isle of Wight, our residents are enjoying the benefits of a new rainwater planter system installed by SuDSPlanter in partnership with Southern Water. Originally designed to reduce the risk of surface water flooding, the planters have also helped create a thriving green space that’s helping residents in unexpected ways.
What’s a Rainwater Planter System?
Instead of letting rainwater rush straight into the drains, a Rainwater Planter System captures runoff from rooftops and channels it into specially designed planters. These planters slow down the flow of water, filter out sediment, and store excess water for drier days.
How is it helping?
At Bucklers View, 12 custom-made planters are diverting up to a huge 5,300 litres of rainwater during storms, helping to ease pressure on the local sewer network.
Thanks to the hard work of our teams, the planters are filled with carefully chosen plants and soil mixes that support healthy growth and attract wildlife. The planters are raised, making them easily accessible for residents to admire and even help maintain.
Residents have embraced the garden, turning it into a shared space for socialising, exercise, and relaxation. With their help, we’ve even secured the Best Care Giving Complex Garden in the Isle of Wight in Bloom competition for two years running. Judges said they were impressed by the planters and praised the care given to the garden by residents.
“Our mental wellbeing and physiotherapy exercises really come into play, as well as our attitude towards life. We’ve made friends and having the planters to work on really started all that off.”
“We look forward to getting up in the morning, whereas before that wasn’t always the case. We have a nice garden, which we would not have achieved without the support from Southern Housing, SuDSPlanter and Southern Water giving us that little bit of momentum.”
More about Bucklers View
Bucklers View was chosen as a key site for this new project due to its large roof area and ideal location. The project is part of a wider effort to use nature-based solutions to improve water management across the Isle of Wight.
“We want our residents to feel proud of where they live, and the rainwater planter project has delivered so much more than sustainable drainage. It’s created a shared green space that encourages community, supports wellbeing, and gives residents a real sense of ownership.”
The project also supports our Biodiversity Pathway, which sets out targets to allocate communal green spaces for resident groups to use to enhance biodiversity, among other plans to help for a greener future.
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