Hillside stronger after 2015 flooding

A £6.5M PROJECT which has been carried out to strengthen the hillside, improve drainage and boost flood resilience in West Yorkshire is now complete.

The Boxing Day 2015 floods caused a landslip which blocked Scout Road in Mytholmroyd and led to the temporary relocation of Scout Road Academy and the evacuation of nearly 20 homes for safety reasons.

As part of the flood recovery work across the borough, Calderdale Council started a programme of repairs to help life get back to normal for residents as soon as possible, and to increase the resilience against any future landslips.

The installation of a safety fence enabled the road to reopen and students to move back to Scout Road Academy in October 2016.

Work which has been carried out since then has focused on permanently stabilising the hillside, said Coun Barry Collins, Calderdale Council’s cabinet member for regeneration and economic strategy.

“The completion of work at Scout Road is a key milestone in Calderdale’s recovery from the floods along with borough-wide flood alleviation schemes and a range of natural flood management projects. It’s a powerful example of our determination to build resilience against extreme weather events,” he said.

“We’d like to thank local residents for their patience and support during this huge, vital operation.

“It has been carried out to the highest possible standard and many of the techniques used have shown real innovation, leading to improved protection for over 80 nearby homes and around 30 non-residential properties.”