Conservative MP Stephen Metcalfe has visited NI Water's landmark Rainwater Garden project at Clandeboye Primary School.

The garden is the first of its kind in Northern Ireland, consisting of ponds, cascades and bog gardens that provide natural storage for rainwater while creating a new outdoor learning environment for pupils.

While on his two-day tour of NI, the Government Envoy for the Year of Engineering visited the site, heaping praise on the development.

He said: "Engineering careers are an opportunity to make a real difference – from tackling global challenges, to designing innovations that improve local communities. The Year of Engineering is a chance to bring this to life for young people throughout the UK, and the Clandeboye Rainwater Garden is a fantastic example of this.

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"This collaboration between NI Water, the Department for Infrastructure and AECOM not only demonstrates the impact of creative engineering on the world around us, but also shows young people where their curiosity and imagination could take them. I'm delighted to see Government and Industry working together to achieve this aim and have no doubt that the garden will inspire many schoolchildren across the country."

Around £70,000 was invested in the garden from NI Water and the Department for Infrastructure, working closely with Education Authority and Department of Education.

The garden collects and stores storm water before slowly releasing it, reducing local flood risk in the Clandeboye area. Water run-off from the school car park and playground area is collected in an underground storage tank disguised as a turtle. When the water within the storage tank builds up to a certain level, a valve opens and allows the water to run down a channel, which is used by the school children as a 'duck run' play facility.

The rainwater then travels into two split-level ponds, which provides further storage and reduces the rate at which the storm water reaches the local watercourse – Clandeboye Stream. Material excavated from the ponds was also re-used to create play mounds and a slide, while tree stumps were transformed into stepping stones and seats. 

(CM)