Early start urged on new flood defences
Sep 23 2008 by Dave Black, The Journal
ENVIRONMENT Agency bosses are investigating whether they can speed up a £13m scheme to improve a market town’s ageing flood defences, in the wake of the recent deluge which left more than 1,000 homes and businesses under water.
The agency is coming under growing pressure to bring forward work on the project in a bid to avoid a repeat of the ‘catastrophe’ which engulfed Morpeth on September 6.
The call follows the floods earlier this month which left the town, along with large parts of Northumberland, County Durham and Tyneside, under several inches of water.
Tomorrow Morpeth Town Council is expected to support a formal motion calling on the agency to take action at the ‘earliest possible moment’ to put in adequate flood protection measures.
Under current plans, work is due to start in 2011 on the £13m improvement scheme, which will protect the whole town against the threat of future flooding from the River Wansbeck.
The scheme, which is still at the appraisal stage, involves creating a special holding area on farmland upstream from Morpeth to reduce the volume of river water flowing through the town at times of torrential rain. Yesterday the Environment Agency’s area flood risk manager, Ian Hodge, said: “We are looking at present into whether the scheme can be accelerated, but it is a large and complex project which requires careful planning.
“We are also looking at whether this month’s severe flooding in Morpeth has had any impact on the scheme. We are looking at whether it can be brought forward but it is important we get the right scheme, and these things are not always quick.”
Liberal Democrat town councillor David Parker, who has moved tomorrow’s notice of motion, said Floods Minister John Healey had dropped a hint during his recent visit to Morpeth that he hoped to see the scheme brought forward.
“As local representatives, we have a responsibility to see that this work is done as early as possible, because we cannot have this terrible catastrophe happening again. Obviously, people in Morpeth are very concerned about a repeat of what happened.
“No one that I know of has questioned the effectiveness of this £13m scheme the agency is proposing, but the problem is when it is actually going to happen. We want it to happen soon.”
A year ago a group of Castle Morpeth borough councillors called for detailed planning of the project to be brought forward, amid fears that Morpeth could miss out to other communities hit by severe flooding last summer.
Coun Parker said: “We are assured that the new flood protection scheme will deal with the situation which sadly arose just over two weeks ago. The agency has done preliminary work on it and intend to do it in about 2011. John Healey implied on his visit to Morpeth that he hoped it would be done sooner than that, and encouraged the agency to bring the work forward.” The motion also calls on residents who have not already signed up for the agency’s free floodwatch warning system to do so.
