The next phase of works on the £45million Leeds Floods Alleviation Scheme which aims to protect Leeds city centre from a repeat of the devastating flooding seen at Christmas is to begin this week.
The scheme being overseen by Leeds City Council features the installation of state-of-the-art new moveable weirs to control the level and flow of the River Aire, and the next stage of work will focus on the weir being put in place at Crown Point.
The work will see machinery used to undertake ‘piling works’ for the new weir. As the work will be taking place close to properties at Crown Point, residents and businesses are being advised they may experience increased noise and vibration levels over the next three months until it is completed in mid-September.
The noisiest element of all of the piling works will take place only between 9am and 5pm on weekdays, with the most severe periods lasting for up to 15 minutes on average six times a day. None of this work will take place at weekends.
The ‘piles’ are in three forms of sheets and tubes, offering a mixture of temporary and permanent foundation support for the weir. Work on the sheet piling typically generates more noise, whereas the tubular piles cause more vibration. The temporary works will run until mid-August followed by the permanent foundation supporting work.
Leeds City Council executive member for regeneration, transport and planning Councillor Richard Lewis said:
“We are pleased with the progress made on the Leeds Flood Alleviation Scheme, which is a key development need for the city as was unfortunately shown at Christmas. This next phase of the project involves working closer to properties at Crown Point, so there will be some noise and vibration experienced although every effort is being made to keep the impact to a minimum.
“We would ask for everyone’s patience and understanding please while the work is carried out as this vital development needs to be done in order to defend the city centre from a repeat of the awful situation we suffered after Storm Eva.”
The Leeds Flood Alleviation Scheme began with improvement works being carried out in Woodlesford in 2014, which proved effective in protecting properties when the unprecedented floods caused by Storm Eva hit Leeds at Christmas.
The project then moved into the city centre to provide defences downstream of Leeds Station. This work started last January, with a programme of works to alter the flow of the river as well as supporting infrastructure including the introduction of innovative moveable weirs, low-level embankments, terracing, riverside walls, and the removal of Knostrop Cut.
The project remains on course to be completed in May 2017. A modelling and feasibility study led by the council and the Environment Agency is also now underway on a second phase of the scheme upstream from the city centre to offer future protection to Kirkstall and surrounding areas badly hit by the impact of Storm Eva.
The Leeds Flood Alleviation Scheme is being managed by Leeds City Council and funded by the council, the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), the Environment Agency and the Department for Business Industry and Skills.
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