Plans to protect city from flooding revealed

A six-year plan on how Hull will be protected from flooding has been revealed.

More than 100,000 homes are at risk of flooding in the city. To try and reduce the danger of floods, work and investment has gone into building defences to protect the city and its residents, though this can never fully eliminate the risk.

Now Hull City Council has set out a six-year plan from 2021 – 2027, detailing how it will work with the Environment Agency and the Living with Water Partnership to identify and manage flood risks.

Plans include work to model and understand the ongoing risks flooding poses, how they can be managed, and exploring options for surface water flood risk improvement schemes by using “SuDS”.

SuDS are sustainable drainage systems that are designed to manage rain or storm water locally.

This information will then form part of the Environment Agency’s Flood Risk Management Plan for areas which are classified as being at significant risk from flooding.

Councillor Dean Kirk, portfolio holder for transportation, roads, highways and flood prevention, said: “By working with our colleagues in the Environment Agency and Yorkshire Water, we’ve sourced a significant amount of protection for the city against flooding.

“And because flooding can come from a number of sources including tidal, river, surface water, ground water or sewer, it means partnership working is critical in ensuring all flood risks can be managed as effectively as possible.

“Flooding still possesses a real risk to our city which will only increase with climate change, and with Hull having the second-highest number of properties at flood risk in the UK outside of London, with 98% of the city defined as high risk in terms of flooding, this partnership work is vital.”

The report was discussed at the Infrastructure and Energy Overview and Scrutiny Commission on Wednesday 16 June, and a final decision will be made at the council’s Cabinet on Monday 28 June.