Colas UK has been awarded the Killingbeck Meadows Flood Management Scheme, a key environmental project led by Leeds City Council in partnership with the Environment Agency, with a value estimated at just over £2 million.
Part of the Natural Flood Management Programme and WykeBeck Valley Project, the Killingbeck Meadows Naturalised Flood Management Scheme aims to reduce the risk of flooding to a number of key areas of land, housing, businesses and brownfield sites across east Leeds and Leeds City region. It will also protect land for new development and provide a refuge for a number of vulnerable and endangered animals.
The scheme will involve Colas creating a flood storage reservoir and wetland area to attenuate approximately 40,000m³ of water over a 6.7 hectare site. Colas was initially involved in developing the scope and construction phase of works, but following the contract award, was required to immediately start work on a number of ecological elements of the project to be completed upfront of the main works award.
The most significant of these was a temporary river diversion of an element of existing channel that would be located below the new flow control channel, resulting in the successful rescue and relocation of over 600 native white clawed crayfish to suitable habitat with the WykeBeck Valley.
Commenting on the award, Colas UK Regional Operations Director, Michael Holmes said:
'Following an extended period of ECI working with Leeds’ Flood Risk Management (FRM) team it is pleasing to see our effort paying dividends. This award, the first of potentially five high-profile Flood Alleviation projects along the WykeBeck in West Yorkshire supports our strategy for further diversification of offer and provides a strong case study for further FRM works across the public sector.'
The Killingbeck Meadows Flood Management Scheme is Colas’s third major flood alleviation scheme in the UK, following significant projects at Murton Gap in North Tyneside and Anlaby in Humberside.
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