Upstream of the town of Uckfield slopes are very steep and so runoff happens very quickly after rainfall. However the River Uck flood plain is relatively undeveloped, with natural flood plains remaining. Here land management practices are well adapted to flooding.
In Uckfield itself, the Uck no longer follows its original course. The 1874 OS map shows that the building of a mill and railway line embankment had already changed the course of the river.
In the last 40 years, the town has grown rapidly, from a population of 4,500 in 1961 to 13,200 in 2004:
Uckfield Case Study: How is land used in the Uckfield flood plain?
© Crown Copyright. All rights reserved. Environment Agency. 100026380 (2007)
- Most of the town's expansion occurred in large residential areas on higher ground on the north side of the river valley.
- Upstream (east) of the High Street Bridge, development has generally been kept out of the natural floodplain.
- Downstream (west) of the High Street, the Bellbrook Industrial Estate and the Bell Walk shopping area were built within the floodplain, as far downstream as the A22 Uckfield bypass. This commercial development has largely blocked the natural floodplain, leaving only a relatively small river channel through the town.
The town centre does not have any special flood defences; there are no raised flood banks or floodwalls to keep water within the channel and out of vulnerable areas.
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