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We supported the Rivers Trust with both funding and pro bono legal advice on the development of the Aire Resilience Company, an independent Community Interest Company (CIC) created to manage the sustainable funding model for the implementation and maintenance of natural flood management within the River Aire catchment.
"ARC works thanks to its collaborative ethos. We’re fortunate there are businesses and partners which care deeply about enhancing climate resilience, both for the city of Leeds and those who call it home. The support from Hogan Lovells has been instrumental in navigating the best course of action in setting up this innovative Community Interest Company (CIC) to ensure a sustainable flow of funding into our natural flood management efforts for decades to come."
Georgina Mitchell, Chair of Aire Resilience Company
Leeds, and the Aire Valley, have direct experience of the significant damage and disruption that severe weather can have on people’s lives, livelihoods and communities. The 2015 Boxing Day floods in Leeds caused over £500m of damage and left homeowners and businesses counting the cost of damage to property, lost business and harm to infrastructure. Since 2015, there have been further examples of flooding in Leeds and several ‘near-misses’.
Leeds ARC is bringing business, farming and the natural environment together to make Leeds and the Aire Valley resilient to climate change. It will facilitate the delivery of long-term, evidence-based natural flood management interventions upstream of Leeds, in the Aire Valley.
These measures will complement and enhance the protection afforded by the Leeds Flood Alleviation Scheme (LFAS) creating long-term resilience against the impact of climate change and ensuring the future protection of Leeds and its surrounding areas for decades to come.
Thanks to Hogan Lovells volunteers Phil Brown, Oliver Hamilton, Amy Cleaves and Olivia Wisden.
“As part of the Rivers Trust’s Charitable Partnership, the support Hogan Lovells have given to the Aire Resilience Company, via their BaSE Programme, has had a direct impact on the Project’s success. Hogan Lovells’ pro-bono legal support and funding have helped to shape a trailblazing approach to developing a sustainable model to build catchment scale climate resilience in the Aire Valley. This will provide significant benefit to not only the city of Leeds and its surrounding areas, but also to future projects that can build on the model and deliver similar benefits across the country.”
Mark Lloyd, Chief Executive of The Rivers Trust