Plans for Rochdale’s multi-million pound flood scheme progress

Rochdale during the Boxing Day 2015 floods

Works on the further development of Rochdale and Littleborough multi-million pound flood defence scheme have progressed with detailed designs for Phase 1a now nearing completion.

In what has been described as an ‘important milestone’ for the borough’s flood protection measures, the first planning applications for features such as the Littleborough flood walls and works at the proposed storage basin are expected to be submitted in late January 2020.

If the planning applications and business cases are successfully approved in the first half of 2020, then work is hoped to officially begin on the ground in late summer/early autumn 2020. Planning applications for further works in Littleborough will follow later in the year, at the same time as detailed design in Rochdale (Phase 2) is progressed.   

Hailed as one of the largest inland flood defence schemes in the North West, the Rochdale and Littleborough Flood Alleviation Scheme is expected to deliver £455m worth of benefits over its lifetime and will improve flood protection for 1,000 residential properties and 200 local businesses as well as major infrastructure such as the tram network, the bus interchange, colleges, a grid substation and the waste water treatment works.

Raised walls and improvements to culverts and bridges, are also planned for Green Vale Brook, Town House Brook, Ealees Brook, Buckley Brook and Hey Brook.

Nick Pearson, Senior Advisor in the Environment Agency’s Flood and Coastal Resilience Team, who is leading on the scheme said: “This is a great achievement for the scheme and we are pleased to have the detailed design for Phase 1a nearing completion. A lot of hard work has gone into the application and the engagement with residents to get to this stage. We are proud of the progress the team has made and we hope 2020 will be an extremely busy year for the scheme with two planning applications potentially submitted and a start to the site works.”

A public drop-in to update residents on the scheme’s progress will be held in January 2020 with the date yet to be confirmed.