Controversial Hebden Bridge flood defence plans 'unlikely' to be approved until early 2026
The Environment Agency submitted its application for the proposed £81 million flood alleviation scheme for Hebden Bridge in September.
Last updated 25th Nov 2025
Major – and controversial – flood alleviation scheme plans for a Calderdale town are unlikely to come before planning councillors until early next year.
The Environment Agency submitted its application for the proposed £81 million flood alleviation scheme for Hebden Bridge in September.
The application for the main scheme, number 25/00947/FUL – is not on the agenda for Calderdale Council’s Planning Committee meeting for next Tuesday, December 2, with the committee not due to meet again until January 6, 2025.
Hebden Bridge is one of the Calder Valley towns badly hit by flooding on several occasions since the Millennium, notably the devastating Boxing Day floods of 2015.
But the scheme is proving very controversial with objections including the impact of businesses of a potential four-year duration of the scheme and concerns about the visual impact on its settings – much of Hebden Bridge’s economy is geared for tourism – and also potential closure of a large part of Calder Holmes Park for use as a compound during construction work.
Supporters argue that long-term protection to reduce flooding risk is essential, given the devastation flooding has wreaked on the town in recent years.
At time of writing more than 130 objections and 45 expressions of support, and six neutral, have been published on the council’s Planning Portal.
Separately, a number of applications seeking listed building consent for work affecting various structures including a historic weir have also been submitted by the Environment Agency.
Calderdale Flood Recovery and Resilience Programme Board were told this month that the Full Business Case for the scheme is forecast to be submitted to the Environment Agency’s Large Project Review Group in early 2026, pending the decision on the planning application.
The tendering process for a construction contractor has started on the open market and there is “significant interest”, board members heard.
Many objectors to the scheme, who include more than 60 businesses according to campaigners Hebden Action Group are worried about the economic impact and raise concerns about how they will or will not be compensated for losses and about how consultation has been carried out.
Others are concerned about the impact of works on Hebden Bridge’s appearance, given the economic importance of tourism, and on potential loss of large parts of Calder Holmes Park.
Many say they are not opposed to a scheme but have concerns about the proposals as they stand and call for it to be revised.
However, supporters of the scheme note it is very much needed, has been almost a decade in the planning and say there have been numerous consultation exercises.
The board heard the scheme’s project team are continuing to investigate the viability of an alternative option that could either negate the need for a compound in Calder Holmes Park or reduce the size of the area required.
Examples of supporters’ and objectors’ thoughts on the scheme can be viewed with the application on Calderdale Council’s Planning Portal.
As an example, one opposing statement says: “This is a small town whose economy is unusually dependent on independent shops, cafes, hospitality and tourism.
“The application material talks a great deal about the long-term benefits and improved ‘resilience’ once the scheme is complete, and it offers fairly general assurances that disruption will be minimised and that there will be business support and compensation where losses can be evidenced.
“What I cannot see is a serious, quantified assessment of the likely economic harm during the construction phase itself. ”
Another says: “The proposed works threaten the unique aesthetic and character of Hebden Bridge, which is integral to its identity and attractiveness to visitors.”
But alternatively one of the supporting statements says: “I’ve witnessed first hand the trauma people have experienced during floods and believe measures to avoid repeats should be an absolute priority.
“I’ve also seen in-person and online deep tensions and anxieties felt when flood alerts and warnings are raised, even though many do not result in flooding I believe these responses, born of the horrors of actual floods, should not be minimised.”
The Environment Agency’s information centre in the town at Valley Road remains open to the public to ask questions and find out more about the proposals.
There is also a “frequently asked questions” section about the scheme on the Eye On Calderdale flooding website (eyeoncalderdale.com).