River flood defence will not be built until 2030

The construction of new flood defences along the River Avon will not begin for at least another five years.

In autumn 2025, Bristol City Council hired Jacobs UK to draw up plans for the Bristol Avon Flood Strategy. However, construction will not start until 2030 at the earliest.

A funding strategy has not yet been finalised, with the defences expected to cost around £250 million to build.

Construction of the defences is expected to take seven years and should protect the city from rising sea levels due to climate change.

A lack of detailed updates about the flood defences was criticised during a meeting of the member forum on 13 January, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Councillor Andrew Brown, chair of the economy and skills policy committee, said: "A funding strategy has been developed that explores a range of feasible scenarios to finance the construction phase, which will be developed further as the full business case is progressed."

Critical infrastructure like roads and train stations could be affected by higher tides and stronger storms and the city's transport network could be severed by flooding, according to previous council reports.

The primary threat is from tidal flooding, expected to grow as polar ice sheets melt.

The plans include building nine miles of flood defences along the Avon from Swineford to the east of Bristol, through the city centre and up to Shirehampton.

The council is working with the Environment Agency and the West of England Combined Authority to get them built.

Construction was initially expected to begin next year, but now won't start until the next decade.

Brown added: "We are now in contract with Jacobs and work has been progressing well in mobilising the new team and facilitating a smooth transition from the previous phase of the project.

"Our current programme shows an earliest possible construction start in 2030/31, while opportunities for quick wins and third party delivery opportunities will be continually explored."

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