Hull’s £42m tidal flood scheme approved

Hull’s £42m scheme of improvements to protect the city from tidal flooding has been given planning approval by the government.

The Humber Hull Frontage Improvement Scheme, led by the Environment Agency, will upgrade tidal flood defences at eight locations along the Humber estuary with over 7 kilometres of defences set to be improved.

It is estimated that the scheme, which will cover defences at St. Andrew’s Quay and Victoria Dock Village, will reduce flood risk for over 113,000 homes and businesses along the estuary and provide a 1 in 200 year standard of protection.

Floods Minister Thérèse Coffey said: ‘I am delighted that the owners of 113,000 homes and businesses in and around Hull will benefit from a fully government funded flood defence improvements which will help for many decades to come.

‘This new flood defence scheme costing £42m from taxpayers’ money has been well supported by the city council and a number of other key partners, showing what can be achieved when we work together towards a common goal.’

Glass panels will be included into the designs of some areas of the flood defences to allow a view of the waterfront to be maintained.

The scheme will also integrate opportunities for public art and community involvement with the defences, with recessed sections to display artwork planned in areas such as St. Andrew’s Quay Retail Park and Victoria Dock Village.

Preliminary work on the scheme is now set to start at St. Andrew’s Quay Retail Park later this year.

Helen Tattersdale, project manager at the Environment Agency said: ‘We are delighted that the Humber Hull Frontages scheme has been given final approval and look forward to making progress on the ground early in the New Year.’

‘This £42 million investment is great news for the city as it will allow us to better protect thousands of homes and businesses. We will continue to keep residents and businesses affected by our work informed about the scheme at every stage of its development.’

The Humber Hull Frontage Improvement Scheme forms part of the Humber Flood Risk Management Strategy, which aims to manage flooding in tidal areas of the Humber for the next 100 years.

Hull has suffered three major tidal events since 1955, the most recent being in December 2013 when 264 properties were flooded due to existing defences being overtopped.