Residents and business owners in the Apperley Bridge and Calverley area will have the opportunity to view flood defence proposals at two events next month.
The plans on display are the second phase of proposals for flood defences in West Leeds, as part of a catchment-wide approach to reducing flood risk from the River Aire.
Two drop-in events are being held for the community on:
- Monday 2nd March, 3pm to 7pm
- Tuesday 10th March, 10am to 2pm
The events are being held at the George & Dragon Pub, Apperley Road, Apperley Bridge, Bradford, West Yorkshire, BD10 0PU.
Leeds City Council is working alongside the Environment Agency and Bradford Council on the scheme which aims to invest £112.1 million in flood prevention measures for areas upstream of Leeds city centre, to better protect 1,048 homes and 474 businesses.
The Phase 2 proposals are split into two steps and feature measures such as new defence walls, embankments and a large flood storage area.
The proposals being shown involve creating a flood storage area at Calverley, making use of an existing flood plain, and works at Apperley Bridge, which will bring the level of protection up to a one-in-200 chance of flooding in any given year, equivalent to the Boxing Day floods that hit areas including Kirkstall in December 2015.
People will get the opportunity to meet representatives of the project team from Leeds City Council, the Environment Agency, BAM Nuttall, Mott MacDonald. BMMjv, a joint venture between BAM Nuttall and Mott MacDonald, is designing and constructing the scheme.
Leader of Leeds City Council Councillor Judith Blake said:
“After all the recent rainfall from Storm Ciara and Dennis, we are determined to get on with this work as quickly as we can in order to protect our residents and businesses from the ongoing threat of flooding. This is why we need the government to help us complete the next phase of the scheme in full as well as supporting us to provide the best level of resilience.”
Adrian Gill, area flood risk manager at the Environment Agency said:
“During these events, the joint Leeds City Council and Environment Agency project team will be available to talk to visitors about any views, questions or concerns they may have about the proposals. We will be seeking valuable feedback from both residents and businesses at these events and at further stages of the process.”
At Calverley it is proposed to increase the capacity of the floodplain by increasing water levels during a flood. To make this possible, a control structure will need to be built in the river channel.
During normal river conditions, the control structure will not affect water movement along the river. However, during a significant flood, it will be raised to temporarily store flood water and manage flows downstream. Even when in a raised position, water will overtop them and the velocity of water will remain high downstream.
At Apperley Bridge, plans are to raise some of the existing walls, construct new flood walls and do extensive works to strengthen Apperley Lane Bridge which is a listed structure. The bridge currently restricts the amount of water that can pass underneath it because of its arch structure. In flood conditions the river imposes a significant force on the bridge, so it is proposed to strengthen the arch and the parapet walls.
Works will also be done at Woodhouse Grove School Pavilion to protect the building from flooding.
Work has already started in Leeds on the second phase of flood defences on an 8km stretch of the River Aire upstream of Leeds Train Station, in areas such as Leeds Industrial Museum at Armley Mills, Kirkstall Abbey and Kirkstall Meadows.
The project has received an initial £65 million from the Government as well as funding from Leeds City Council, West Yorkshire Combined Authority, the European Regional Development Fund and Network Rail. Leeds City Council is committed to examining all options to secure the funding to deliver the scheme in full.