‘Vital’ flood defences to safeguard city’s homes
IMPROVEMENTS TO SETTING DYKE HAVE BEEN ANNOUNCED
FLOOD defences will be improved to protect homes in west Hull, because climate change is expected to lead to wetter weather.
Works costing £60,500 will be carried out around Setting Dyke in order to safeguard properties in and around Cropton Road, on the Bricknell estate. Existing defences will be strengthened and ditches, a gully and bunds created.
Efforts will also be undertaken to improve access to a trash screen and make it easier to clear debris. A build-up of debris could increase the risk of water breaching the banks.
The works are being put out to tender by Hull City Council after the Environment Agency announced nationwide funding worth £5.2bn to better protect 336,000 homes from flooding.
Cllr Jack Haines, the council’s communities portfolio holder, warned that such projects would become vital in helping to manage water as the climate changes.
The defences at Setting Dyke are being prioritised because it flows through some of Hull’s most densely developed areas, its natural floodplain is limited and it takes water discharged from the artificial lagoons, which have been created to help deal with the impact of after heavy rain. The area is at high risk of flooding, as the events of 2007 demonstrated, but maintenance and clearance of debris has been limited.
Under the planned improvements, wooden steps to the trash screen – a feature intended to prevent debris from blocking the flow of water – would be replaced with steel ones, while two maintenance platforms would be installed to aid in the regular clearance of debris.
In addition, a flood platform would be created and rushes and reeds would be planted to slow down the flow of water and to trap sediment. The platform would also create new wildlife habitats.
A large gully would be created downstream to try to catch larger objects before they reach the trash screen. Steps would be built, allowing locals access for litter picking. Bunds on the northern side of Setting Dyke would be reinforced and a new one constructed to protect properties in Cropton Road.
The council has estimated that the work will provide benefits equivalent to £232,172 in cash terms in the next 25 years, including by reducing the flood risk to nearby homes.
The plans also include prevision for schoolchildren to visit the site to learn about managing flood risk.
Cllr Haines said: “We are prioritising working with communities to ensure that they are aware of flood risk, feel involved and have an awareness of the role that our urban watercourses play in helping to reduce flood risk.
“Projects like this will be increasingly vital in helping to manage water in climate change conditions and create opportunities for biodiversity and environmental enhancement in an urban setting.”
A Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management strategy was launched in 2021 and takes into account the wetter winters and increased rainfall predicted for England.
In October and November 2019, 301mm of rainfall was recorded in Hull, the same amount that would be seen in six months of an average year.