Major flood defence scheme for town approved

6 days ago

Mark Ansell,in Hebden Bridgeand

David Spereall,Yorkshire

News image — Hebden Bridge has repeatedly been hit by flooding in recent years

Getty Images A man wearing a luminous jacket with the words 'flood warden' written on the back observes a river from a bridge above. Houses sit either side of the river and a leafless tree sits in the middle of the water itself. — Hebden Bridge has repeatedly been hit by flooding in recent years

An £81m flood defence scheme for Hebden Bridge will be developed after it was approved by local councillors.

The plans, which were first conceived in the wake of the 2015 Boxing Day floods which hit the town, will result in new flood walls and vertical rising barriers being built, while existing walls will be rebuilt and repaired.

Members of Calderdale Council's planning committee voted in favour of the proposals, which are expected to take between four and five years to come to fruition, on Tuesday afternoon.

The Environment Agency said, however, that funding for the project still needed to be secured for it go ahead.

Although 44 members of the public had supported the scheme, 132 people, including some business owners fearing disruption, had objected.

Gordon Frankland, who runs a clothes shop in the town, told the BBC before the meeting started that the impact of building works could be devastating for local traders.

"That's a much, much bigger worry from a business point of view than being flooded again," he said.

"Most of the shops after 2015 - which was an awful flood, it was devastating actually - we've all flood-proofed ourselves now.

Mark Ansell/BBC A man wearing a purple jumper stands on a high street, with a clothes shop behind him. A small black dog is on the pavement behind him. The man himself is bald and staring at the camera. — Gordon Frankland said he was concerned about the disruption the works are likely to cause

"There's a feeling now among the shopkeepers that we could probably get back to trading within a couple of weeks even if we have another devastating flood.

"Whereas the flood defences will mean four, five or six years of disruption for the whole town."

Under the plans, new flood walls will be built at St Pol car park, while new barriers will be put up on Old Gate and Bridge Gate. Five local weirs will be modified and existing structures will be repaired and replaced, according to the Environment Agency.

Although 2015 marked some of the worst flooding Hebden Bridge has experienced in the 21st Century, with thousands of properties submerged, the town has suffered other washouts on several occasions before and since.

But Hebden Bridge flood warden Andrew Entwistle said the defence scheme was about "protection", adding "in the long run it will benefit everyone".