The proposed £112.1 million phase two of the Leeds Flood Alleviation Scheme is due to be completed with the help of a two-step solution.

Phase one of the scheme is already in place, offering protection for the city centre and Woodlesford. Meanwhile, phase two offers a range of complementary measures to protect the Kirkstall Corridor which was badly hit by Storm Eva in 2015. It includes further measures up to and including the upper catchment of the River Aire.

The government confirmed its contribution figure of £65 million, with Leeds City Council planning to proceed with a planning application and tenders to be presented shortly to deliver the scheme in full.  It will be carried out in two parts, and will get underway shortly.

Works to deliver an initial one-in-100-year level of protection will begin next year, which will then be upgraded to the full one-in-200-year level with a further phase of work after the remainder of the funding has been secured.

“The Environment Agency wants to deliver the best possible flood scheme for Leeds and is working closely with Leeds City Council to make the most effective use of the funding available to us whilst exploring further options. We worked closely with the council on the first phase of the city’s Flood Alleviation Scheme, which cost £50 million and protects 3,000 homes, 500 business and 300 acres of development land,” commented Adrian Gill, flood risk manager at the Environment Agency.

“Our officers have been working hard within the joint team alongside colleagues from Leeds City Council since Boxing Day 2015 and we support the two-step solution outlined by Councillor Blake. This will enable the level of protection provided to the city centre to be extended at pace to the Kirkstall Road area, whilst we continue to strive towards our ambition of providing a 1-in-200-year level of protection from the River Aire for the whole city,” Adrian concluded.