JBA Consulting
Organisation type:
Consultancy
Contact name:
Kat Evans
Position/ Role:
Nature-based Solutions Strategy Lead
email:
Grants interested in applying for:
Lowland Peat Water Discovery Grant, Lowland Peat Water Implementation Grant, Paludiculture and Wetter Farming Fund
Region:
National/cross-region
Areas of expertise
Carbon accounting/ water management, Environmental monitoring (habitats, water quality), Hydrology, rewetting infrastructure, water management (e.g. tilting weirs, level-control structures), Farmer engagement/ knowledge exchange, Landscape scale planning (aligned with Defra's Landscape Recovery), Peatland restoration, Policy/ regulation/ advisory services, Private finance, Scientific research (ecology, soils, modelling, remote sensing, biogeochemistry), Socioeconomic research, Other (please specify in Additional Information below)
Resources available
Facilities for meetings/ demonstrations, Monitoring and sensing equipment (e.g. hydrology, ecology, remote sensing) equipment, Staff time/ research capacity, Water-level infrastructure (e.g. weirs, sluices, pumps), Other (please specify in Additional Information below)
Engagement interests
We are keen to partner with farmers, IDB’s, estates, NGOs, conservation bodies and other organisations that own or manage land and are interested in delivering lowland peat rewetting, wetter farming or paludiculture projects.
JBA Consulting can act as project lead or delivery partner, depending on the project and consortium structure. We also provide management services to some IDBs, so we understand drainage governance, assets and operational constraints.
How we can help
· Hydrological research and modelling
· Environmental consultancy and feasibility assessment
· Outline and detailed design of water‑management and rewetting measures
· Water resources / abstraction licensing / flood risk management
· Permitting and consents (working closely with the Environment Agency, IDBs and local authorities)
· Supporting the aggregation of farmers and landowners to incentivise collaboration through income opportunities.
· Private finance advice, including contributions to the assessment of operational and financial risks associated with proposed changes to water management and long-term funding and maintenance approaches through blended finance based on previous experience at Landscape Scale recovery and financial modelling.
Additional information
JBA can support Water Discovery Grant implementation plans and Paludiculture / Wetter Farming Projects by helping partners turn early ideas into deliverable, fundable and buildable schemes that can progress into Implementation Grants. We previously supported the North Somerset Council Lowland Peat Water Discovery Grant (LPWDG), and the team are familiar with exploring nature finance opportunities in a Lowland Peat setting.
We currently manage 10 Internal Drainage Districts covering 1,133 miles of watercourses and 56 pumping stations.
We have also delivered over 100 capital projects to replace or refurbish pumping station assets, install telemetry or produce hydraulic models across the Internal Drainage Boards' catchments. This has included providing all necessary permitting, consents and environmental support.
How we can help (aligned to Discovery implementation plan requirements):
- Baseline data collection and analysis (drainage, hydrology/hydrogeology, peat/soils, existing monitoring and targeted environmental surveys (e.g. ecology, habitats, heritage etc) to inform design early and avoid late-stage surprises.
- Options appraisal and modelling (conceptual models, water budgets and scenario testing) to define realistic water‑table targets, operating rules, water requirements and sources.
- Constraints and mitigations - integrating flood risk, IDB assets and operations, land use, infrastructure and environmental sensitivities to ensure schemes are realistic and operable.
- Permits and consents - clear, early strategy covering EA, IDB and water‑resources requirements.
- Meeting space – we have a network of offices across England that can be utilised for collaborative events and workshops.
- Monitoring and adaptive management - proportionate frameworks to project scale and stage.
- RAID logs - to make risks, assumptions, issues and dependencies explicit.
- Outline and detailed design - water‑management and rewetting measures that are practical to build and operate
- Private finance advice – exploring income opportunities, modelling and cost forecasts to inform the identification of appropriate public and private funding associated with lowland peat.
Applied R&D for paludiculture/wetter farming
We support pilots/trials with modelling‑led testing of operating approaches and monitoring designs, so pilots/trials generate evidence that supports scaling, future funding and long‑term management decisions.
Implementation, CDM and buildability
JBA supports projects from Discovery into construction‑ready schemes. This includes detailed design, buildability input, consenting support and Principal Designer (CDM) roles. Our work with Internal Drainage Boards, including where JBA provides IDB management services, ensures schemes are safe, practical and ready to deliver.
Relevant experience
- North Somerset Council – LPWDG and Adaptive Water Level Management Plan (aWLMP) (2024-6) for lowland agricultural peat, explicitly addressing water resources availability and abstraction licensing constraints.
- Morridge Hill Country (Landscape Recovery Project) – ecohydrological studies and identification of rewetting and restoration options across a multi-landholding landscape.
- Wicken Fen (National Trust) – design and Principal Designer input for wetland and peat‑adjacent restoration works, working with the National Trust as landowner.
- Internal Drainage Boards – long‑standing IDB management experience (including Goole & Airmyn IDB) and delivery/funding support with Tween Bridge IDB.
- Water Level Management Plans – extensive WLMP experience across fens, wet grassland and lowland raised mires, including multiple SSSI sites such as Blo’Norton and Thelnetham Fens SSSI
- Three Dales (Landscape Recovery Project) – identification of ecosystem service opportunities, including quantification through the application of the BNG Metric & Carbon calculators where relevant to inform blended finance opportunities.