Plans for next phase of £112m Leeds flood scheme submitted

Plans for the next phase of the £112m Leeds Flood Alleviation Scheme to reduce flood risk along the River Aire have been submitted.

A range of measures have been put forward to reduce the risk of flooding along a 14-kilometre stretch along the River Aire catchment, including the A65 Kirkstall Corridor which was badly hit by the impact of Storm Eva at Christmas 2015 and ending at Apperley Bridge, Bradford.

These plans include both parts of the two-step process that has been developed to give a one-in-200-year level of enhanced protection against flooding for Leeds, helping to better protect 1,485 homes and 370 businesses.

The plans feature measures such as new defence walls, embankments and a large flood storage area, with plans focusing on the areas surrounding Leeds Industrial Museum at Armley Mills, Kirkstall Abbey and Kirkstall Meadows, Apperley Bridge and Calverley.

Leeds City Council has worked alongside the Environment Agency to put forward a planning application for phase two of the scheme, which will invest £112.1m in flood prevention measures.

Leader of Leeds City Council  Judith Blake said: ‘This planning application is an important step in our commitment to providing Leeds with the level of flood defences it needs.

‘If it is approved it would mean we can get on with starting the work we can carry out now, which is vital to provide our residents and businesses with reassurance and confidence as we come up on three years since the devastation caused by the impact of Storm Eva.

‘We will continue to pursue all options to secure the remaining funding to deliver the scheme to one-in-200-year level in full.’

A series of sketches to show how the works could look have also been released as part of the application. Other features of the scheme, which include new bridges and footpath improvements, will be handled in a separate planning application.

If approved, work is expected to start next summer.