Work on £20m flood defences set to start
TWO years ago Rochdale was hit by the worst flooding in living memory.
But since Boxing Day 2015 great lengths have been taken in a bid to ensure the town never has to endure the same misery again.
At its height The Butts in the town centre was about 4ft under water and dozens of surrounding shops, restaurants, pubs and council HQ Number One Riverside were submerged.
Large parts of Littleborough and Wardleworth were also flooded.
In total about 500 homes and 125 businesses were affected in what then council leader Richard Farnell called the ‘worst floods in living memory’ and ‘unprecedented’.
But since then millions of pounds have been poured into, or earmarked for, flood defence works across the town.
The biggest project aims to protect 1,000 homes and businesses along the River Roch between Littleborough and Rochdale. Work on the £20m scheme is due to start in 2018.
Earlier this month the Environment Agency submitted a ‘screening opinion’ application to the council - the first stage of the planning process.
The huge project will see four new floodwater storage basins created along the River Roch.
Almost 4km of new flood defences will also be built along the Roch and its tributaries.
In November 2016 a £500,000 project to create new flood basins in Littleborough was completed.
The storage reservoirs at Springfield Avenue and Townhouse Road can together hold the equivalent of four Olympic sized swimming pools .
It’s hoped they’ll protect 66 properties in the area.
And in the aftermath of Storm Eva grants were awarded to 328 homes to help pay for measures such as flood doors and barriers, air brick covers and waterproof coating to external walls and 10 £5,000 grants were made to businesses which were affected by the floods, with more cash to be handed out next month.
Several other smaller projects, such as a tree planting programme in flood risk area to help slow the flow of water, are also ongoing and over the next two years the council say they will also be spending £500,000 diverting streams and springs in wet areas away from the roads and into drains and at least £230,000 cleaning gullies across the borough.