Key piece in £42m waterfront flood defence jigsaw nearly ready
WHEN COMPLETE, IT WILL REDUCE RISK OF FLOODING FOR 113,000 PROPERTIES
FLOOD defence work at Hull’s most popular waterfront site is expected to be completed in late April.
The Victoria Pier area near the Minerva pub is usually a magnet for visitors as it boasts spectacular views of The Deep and across the Humber.
But over the past nine months it has been turned into a large building site with contractors for the Environment Agency upgrading flood defences as part of a £42m scheme along a six-mile stretch of the estuary from Victoria Dock to St Andrews Quay.
When complete, the scheme will reduce the risk of flooding from the Humber for 113,000 properties in the city.
The work at Victoria Pier has included the installation of new steel sheet piles and the construction of a new flood defence wall on top of the piles.
A raised promenade behind the new wall is also being created to maintain views of the estuary.
Speaking at a Riverside area committee, Hull City Council’s flood risk planning manager Rachel Glossop said the work at Victoria Pier was
currently scheduled to be completed in late April, although there was likely to be some snagging work to carry out beyond that.
But Councillor Daren Hale, who represents the area, said he was far from certain the work would be finished by then.
He said: “It seems some way off. It doesn’t look like they have finished the defences at the front yet.
“While the piling has been ongoing and I can see the wall going in by then, it doesn’t look like the remainder of the works will be finished by that time.
“You could say ‘why does it matter because nothing is going to be open by then’ but it’s a key tourist vista and it’s also important for local people who enjoy a riverside walk.”
Councillor Haroldo Herrera-richmond said he was concerned about access for disabled people and, in particular, wheelchair users.
“If you’ve got those sort of issues it doesn’t look anywhere near ready to be able to enjoy that area.”
Mrs Glossop said she had been assured by the Environment Agency that its current target of completing the works by the end of April would be achieved.