£13.7m flood alleviation scheme to protect businesses and homes

A £13.7m flood alleviation scheme is to be built in Bilton, near Hull.
East Riding of Yorkshire Council confirmed the project after securing funding from the Government to construct lagoons, embankments and watercourses around the village to help reduce the risk of flooding during heavy rainfall.
Work on the project could begin in early 2027, subject to the council securing planning permission.
Bilton has suffered from multiple flood events in the past, most notably in 2007 when a significant number of properties were flooded in the village.
The new scheme has been awarded £13m of Flood Defence Grant in Aid funding from Defra, administered by the Environment Agency.
This is in addition to a £650,000 Local Levy contribution from the Yorkshire Regional Flood and Coastal Committee.
The council proposes construction of a series of measures around the Bilton village perimeter designed to intercept, divert and temporarily store overland flows from surrounding land. Measures include storage areas, embankments and watercourse improvements.
The flood alleviation project has been developed in partnership between the council and Yorkshire Water as part of the wider Living With Water (LWW) Partnership.
Established in 2017, LWW is a partnership between Yorkshire Water, East Riding of Yorkshire Council, Hull City Council, the Environment Agency and the University of Hull.
Yorkshire Water is also investing £4m in Bilton in an ongoing programme to install Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) across the village. SuDS are designed to prevent flooding caused by rainfall by mimicking natural ways of draining surface water.
Councillor Paul West, the council’s portfolio holder for environment and climate change, said: “I’m extremely pleased we’ve been able to secure funding for this vital scheme designed to help shield the residents and businesses in Bilton from the devastation of flooding.
“This project will join the other multi-million pound flood alleviation schemes we have already built across the East Riding which have proved essential in diverting floodwater from communities when it rains heavily.”
Professor Colin Mellors, chair of the Yorkshire Regional Flood and Coastal Committee, said: “The committee is very pleased to support this important scheme, which will better protect 188 residential and 11 non-residential properties from future flooding in Bilton.
“Through the creative deployment of a number of interventions, it is intended to help reduce the flood risks that affect this area, and which will only increase with climate change.”
Emma Brown, Living with Water general manager and strategic partnerships manager at Yorkshire Water, added: “We’re thrilled to be working as part of Living with Water to build flood resilience in Bilton.
“This success in securing funding brings into the spotlight the need for more joint working in the future to mitigate against climate change and the present threat of flooding we have in this part of the word.”