New funding for flood prevention scheme

The UK government has announced an additional GB£22.3m for the next phase of Leeds City Council’s Leeds Flood Alleviation Scheme, being delivered by BMMjv, on the River Aire. This funding will go a considerable way to resolving the previous GB£23.7m shortfall in the programme to allow it to be completed in full, said Leeds City Council.

Leader of Leeds City Council Councillor Judith Blake, said: “We are still working to understand the details of the funding being made available but this announcement will be particularly significant for the next step of the Leeds Flood Alleviation Scheme Phase 2 and we look forward to working with our local partners and central government towards delivering the scheme in full.”

Phase one of the Leeds Flood Alleviation Scheme was completed in 2017 It saw investment of £50m in flood prevention measures including moveable weirs to protect the city centre and further defences downstream to better protect Woodlesford.

Additional work is anticipated to include raised defences using walls and engineered structures to reduce the threat of flooding; construction of a new control structure for a flood storage area on land between Calverley and Horsforth; and further defences upstream around Apperley Bridge in Bradford.

A fully completed scheme would raise the overall level of protection for Leeds to the one-in-200 year level needed to prevent a repeat of the Storm Eva impact, as well as mitigating the impacts of climate change until 2069.

By Rebecca Jeffrey