Leeds Flood Alleviation Scheme: £200m project to prevent against extreme flooding is completed

Watch more of our videos on ShotsTV.com 
and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565
Visit Shots! now
A £200 million project to protect Leeds from the risk of extreme flooding has been completed.

After more than a decade of work and a huge investment into state-of-the-art technology, the scheme will protect more than 4,000 homes and 1,000 businesses along the River Aire.

It comes after the devastating floods of 2015, that caused more than £36 million worth of damage as dramatic pictures showed city streets submerged under murky rainwater.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad
A £200 million project to protect Leeds from the risk of extreme flooding has been completed.A £200 million project to protect Leeds from the risk of extreme flooding has been completed.
A £200 million project to protect Leeds from the risk of extreme flooding has been completed. | Steve Riding

The storm, that battered Leeds on Boxing Day almost nine years ago, affected 3,355 properties, 672 of which were businesses.

As well as protecting homes and businesses, it is thought that the new flood alleviation scheme will safeguard 33,000 jobs.

The project, which was led by Leeds City Council and the Environment Agency, was celebrated at a special event this morning (November 22) hosted by leader of the authority Coun James Lewis.

He was joined by other project leaders at a flood storage facility in Calverley and described how it was a “very important and proud day” for the city.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The flood alleviation scheme has been carried out in two phases. The first phase, completed in 2017, saw the creation of new moveable weir gates across the river at Crown Point and Knostrop.

It also saw new flood walls and embankments installed through the city centre and downstream to Woodlesford.

The moveable weirs, that can be raised and lowered to control river levels, are the first time the technology has been used for flood defences in this way anywhere in the UK.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The second phase of work covered the city centre and further upstream, with construction beginning in 2019. It covered another 14 kilometres of the river from Leeds City Station upstream along the A65 Kirkstall Road to Apperley Bridge.

The scheme, that was celebrated at a special event on November 22, comes after the devastating floods of 2015, that caused more than £36 million worth of damage.The scheme, that was celebrated at a special event on November 22, comes after the devastating floods of 2015, that caused more than £36 million worth of damage.
The scheme, that was celebrated at a special event on November 22, comes after the devastating floods of 2015, that caused more than £36 million worth of damage. | Steve Riding

New raised flood defence walls were installed, along with embankments, flow control structures and the removal of obstructions in Armley, Kirkstall, Newlay and Apperley Bridge. Efforts were also made to protect the historic Kirkstall Abbey.

A key feature of phase two was the largest infrastructure element of the entire scheme, the creation of a new controlled flood storage area near to Calverley.

Chosen to be in a location away from populated areas, it was designed to hold up to up to 1,800,000m3 of floodwater - the equivalent of 720 Olympic-sized swimming pools - in the event of extreme rainfall and river levels.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The 200 metre long structure features two new moveable flood gates which can be raised and lowered to slowly release the water downstream in a controlled way once the threat of flooding has passed.

Alongside the infrastructure and engineering works, the scheme also uses the environment to protect against flooding.

Stretching from Apperley Bridge to the source of the River Aire at Malham approximately 40 miles upstream from Leeds, the range of measures includes the planting of 750,000 trees as well as management across 1,700 football fields’ worth of land.

This means that the flow of water down the river will be slowed, with the aim of reducing peak flows by up to five per cent.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The scheme has also seen the creation of new wildlife habitats, improved water quality and farmland, and the restoration of previous habitats.

Meanwhile, fish and eel passes have been installed at the moveable weirs in the city centre - and otters and salmon have already been spotted in parts of the river for the first time in more than 200 years.

It's expected to bring huge benefits to the city.It's expected to bring huge benefits to the city.
It's expected to bring huge benefits to the city. | Steve Riding

Additionally, a 2.4 hectare wetland habitat on Kirkstall Meadows has been created, while more than 90,000 further trees and shrubs have been planted throughout Leeds.

Leaders said that there have been economic gains too, as land previously considered unsuitable for development because of the flood risk can now be used for building - with estimated regeneration benefits of £774 million over 10 years and potentially creating more than 3,000 new jobs.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The protection offered by the scheme also means resilience for travel routes, including the railway at Kirkstall, which connects a significant portion of Yorkshire and had previously been at significant flood risk.

A focus during construction of the scheme has been to limit the carbon impact of the works, with the use of recycled materials.

Coun Lewis said: “This is a very important and proud day for our city as the Leeds Flood Alleviation Scheme can now help protect thousands of homes, communities, businesses and jobs across Leeds and beyond from the increasing threat posed by flooding and climate change.

“We all remember the devastation and misery caused by Storm Eva and recent extreme weather events, and the confidence this scheme offers will be immeasurable in our city for decades to come.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

He added: “This has been a mammoth project, one of the biggest ever undertaken in Leeds in terms of its importance, scale and ambition, and everyone involved in it can rightly be proud of the part they have played, especially all those who campaigned and worked so hard to ensure it would be completed in full as quickly as possible.”

He was joined by representatives of project partners the Environment Agency, BAM Nuttall and Mott MacDonald, along with technical advisors AECOM at this morning’s event.

Multiple funding streams paid for the Leeds Flood Alleviation Scheme, including government Grant in Aid funding, cash from Leeds City Council, regional funding from the West Yorkshire Combined Authority and others including Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership, the European Regional Development Fund, Network Rail and The Woodlands Trust.

Related topics:

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.

Leeds news you can trust since 1890
Follow us
©National World Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved.Cookie SettingsTerms and ConditionsPrivacy notice