Plans approved for £42m tidal flood protection scheme

Construction of a £42m flood scheme which will protect thousands of homes and businesses in Hull has been given the go ahead.

The Humber Hull Frontage Improvement Scheme has now had final sign off from the Secretary of State for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.

Led by the Environment Agency, the scheme will upgrade tidal flood defences at eight locations along the Humber’s estuary foreshore, including at St Andrew’s Quay and Victoria Dock Village.

The defences will provide a 1 in 200 year standard of protection and will reduce tidal risk for 113,000 homes and businesses.

More than seven kilometres of tidal flood defences along the Humber estuary will be improved.

The design of the flood defences will include some areas of glass panels to maintain a view of the waterfront and recessed sections to display artistic works.

Now that the planning application has been approved, preliminary work is due to start at St Andrew’s Quay Retail Park early this year.

The scheme will be delivered by contractor BMM JV, a joint venture between BAM Nuttall and Mott MacDonald, and is expected to be completed by March 2021.

Allan Rogers, framework director for BMMJV, said: “Having a role in this significant flood alleviation scheme is inspiring for our teams. We are delighted to be at the heart of the design and efficient delivery of schemes through water engineering and management (WEM), and contributing to the Environment Agency’s target of protecting homes and business’ across England.”

Floods Minister Thérèse Coffey added: “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.”

Helen Tattersdale, project manager at the Environment Agency, also 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 £42m 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.”

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