£19m to improve Brighouse flood defences
Around 170 businesses and 40 homes should be protected
A major multi-million pound flood alleviation project aimed at better protecting around 170 businesses and 40 homes in part of Calderdale should begin next year.
The Brighouse flood alleviation scheme, with the outline business case coming in at £19 million, will also reduce flood risk to the main road linking the town to the M62, other local main roads and Brighouse Railway Station.
With relevant Government departmental funding now being secured, based on present costs the scheme is now fully funded, Calderdale Flood Recovery and Resilience Programme Board members heard.
Ian Walker, EA project manager, said while the Boxing Day floods of 2015 revealed issues mainly relating to the River Calder, the February 2020 flooding had exposed problems around Clifton Beck.
Apart from temporary breaches existing assets on the Calder showed it was fairly resilient, so the main work is on Clifton Beck and there are also issues relating to surface water flooding, he said.
At the Calder, work will include bolstering existing assets with some replacement where it is necessary, which will include some “robust” rebuilds including boosting low spots on the embankment and looking closely at wall joints.
Main works at Clifton Beck will take in Whinney Hill Park and Wellholme Park involving interventions and landscaping in both areas, storage areas and methods to slow the flow of water.
Repairs and pinch-points at the beck’s culvert where it flows into the Calder will need looking at and pumping stations assessed, said Mr Walker.
A wider view environmental benefits including access to nature, better amenity and enhancement of habitats will also form part of the scheme.
Mr Walker said the outline business case for the project had been approved in June 2020 and it was now at the detailed design and pricing stage seeking to get full business case approval.
Councillors heard a site presence was likely in early 2022 to undertake ground investigation and survey works and the full programme has also been updated for advanced delivery of works on the River Calder.
Alongside detailed designs, planning approvals were needed for proposals at Whinney Hill Park and Wellholme Park in order to start work but it was hoped construction work there in the second half of next year, continuing into the late summer of 2023, said Mr Walker.
Board Chair Coun Tim Swift (Lab, Town) asked what was proposed to tackle issues at the industrial estate at Brookfoot, flooding issues from both river and canal, and whether there was scope for natural flood management to be extended to the hillside above Park Road, where there had been problems.
Environment Agency team leader Jo Arnold said Brookfoot was included in the second phase of works and the possibility of works on the hillside would be looked at, with a need to identify and approach landowners.