Hundreds inspect £40m flood defence scheme proposals for Preston and South Ribble

Hundreds of people turned out to inspect plans for a £40m flood defence scheme, which could protect 3,600 from the River Ribble.
By Catherine Musgrove
Published 29th Mar 2019, 10:15 BST
Updated 29th Mar 2019, 11:23 BST
David Blake of Environment Agency with the mock up of the proposed wall at the River Ribble flood defence meeting in PenworthamDavid Blake of Environment Agency with the mock up of the proposed wall at the River Ribble flood defence meeting in Penwortham
David Blake of Environment Agency with the mock up of the proposed wall at the River Ribble flood defence meeting in Penwortham

The Environment Agency, Lancashire County Council and partners are developing the Preston and South Ribble flood risk management scheme, aimed at lowering the flood risk for communities from Preston Riversway up towards the M6 motorway and Higher Walton.

The project, which is dependent on European funding - said not to be affected by Brexit - could protect around 3,600 residential properties as well as more than 300 businesses.

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As part of a drop-in information session for Penwortham and Broadgate residents on Wednesday, Environment Agency mocked-up the height of planned flood defences either side of Penwortham Old Bridge in Riverside Road and Broadgate, and spoke to residents.

David Blake of Environment Agency with the mock up of the proposed wall at the River Ribble flood defence meeting in PenworthamDavid Blake of Environment Agency with the mock up of the proposed wall at the River Ribble flood defence meeting in Penwortham
David Blake of Environment Agency with the mock up of the proposed wall at the River Ribble flood defence meeting in Penwortham

Dan Bond, Environment Agency flood risk manager for Lancashire, said: "We had a great turnout of around 300 people who came to see our plans and share their ideas on our early proposals.

"We’ll be holding some more meetings with the community in the next few months and we’d encourage everyone to come along to those.”

Flood defences already in place were built at various points between the 1920s and 1980s, and are said to be “coming to the end of their life”.

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The scheme would likely be made up of flood walls and embankments in various locations within Preston and South Ribble. Works could begin this year and could take five to six years to complete.

Ground surveys started last Monday, and are likely to take several months to complete. During this time, it is possible that footpaths might be diverted temporarily.

Related topics:Environment AgencyPrestonSouth RibbleRiver RibbleLancashire County Council