AXIS is one of the UK's foremost consultancies in the planning and design of flood defence projects. With experience of EA flood defence and enhancement projects dating back to the early 90s, it holds one of the eight places on the Environment Agency's Environmental Services Framework for England and Wales and works closely with national engineering framework consultants (Jacobs, Halcrow, Atkins & Royal Haskoning) to deliver the EA capital programme. Its thorough, holistic approach to the complex environmental context of rivers ensures that sustainable, sympathetic solutions can be delivered in both urban and rural settings.

Flood defence projects generally consist of a series of significant engineering structures whose design is typically led by civil engineering consultants. An engineering led approach can often underplay the importance of urban design, heritage and nature conservation issues.

AXIS has pioneered an innovative approach preparing a ‘design vision’ at the outset of a project, allowing the wider environmental remit of the EA to be integrated. This takes account of the environmental constraints and defines an appropriate urban and landscape design language. It sets design parameters that can be agreed with the client as part of cost setting; the local planning authority to secure consents; and provides a framework to guide the engineering detailed design. It has used this approach to achieve planning consents against challenging deadlines for a number of high profile schemes in Northwest England.

AXIS communicates the aims and implications of a project to the public and other stakeholders in a meaningful and timely way, important due to the increasing emphasis being placed on public consultation in the planning process, allied with increasing concerns about flooding.