Work on Otley Flood Alleviation Scheme delayed until March due to pressures of coronavirus pandemic

The Otley Flood Alleviation Scheme will see work carried out to protect the town from the risk of flooding from the River Wharfe.

The scheme, managed by Leeds City Council, the Environment Agency and engineering consultants WSP, will reduce the likelihood of flooding from the River Wharfe from a 20 per cent (1 in 5 a year) chance to a four per cent (1 in 25 a year) chance of occurring every year.

It is hoped the work will protect the town from a repeat of the devastation caused by the Christmas floods of 2015 and the impact of Storms Ciara and Dennis earlier this year.

The £3million scheme includes a new flood embankment running along the west of Billams Hill as well as vegetation management on the islands downstream of Otley Weir.

After receiving planning approval in March, work was scheduled to begin with engineering works on site this autumn.

However, engineering work has now been delayed until April 2021 due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, the council confirmed.

In order to avoid disturbing nesting birds, roosting bats and spawning fish at their most vulnerable times of the year, the work can only be carried out in the month of September and the month of April.

The council said other work is still continuing on the project, including design work and some ground investigations, and engineering work not directly in the river is due to start in March 2021.

A Leeds City Council spokesperson said: “We remain fully committed to completing this important scheme to protect Otley from the threat of flooding as soon as possible.

"Unfortunately, given the unforeseen issues caused by the coronavirus and the small window of opportunity given the need to respect and not impact on the local wildlife, we will not be able to start the engineering works now until March.

“We would ask everyone for their understanding and patience and would like to thank the community of Otley for their ongoing support as we look to deliver this vital scheme to benefit everyone.”

John Woods, flood risk advisor at the Environment Agency, said: “We have worked hard to keep the scheme on track for an autumn start but the impact of current circumstances means that unfortunately this is no longer possible.

"While this news will undoubtedly cause some uncertainty for residents and businesses that were flooded in 2015, we will continue to work with them to ensure that they are as protected and resilient as possible over winter.

"Preparatory work will continue so that we can hit the ground running in spring. This will also increase our confidence of a swift construction phase so that the area gets the protection it needs as soon as possible.”

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