A major £95 million flood defence and regeneration scheme for Derby has been approved by Derby City Council's planning control committee.
The innovative Our City Our River Council-led scheme plans to reduce Derby’s flood risk and maximise regeneration opportunities along the River Derwent. The flood defences will be designed to protect the city against a 1 in 100 year chance of flood occurrence and provide an ideal opportunity to release the economic potential of brownfield sites along the river frontage.
Commenting on the decision, Councillor Martin Rawson, Deputy Leader of Derby City Council and Cabinet Member for Communities and City Centre Regeneration said:
“I am delighted that Our City Our River has the agreement to go ahead. I am keen to see the benefits of this pivotal scheme delivered on the ground as soon as possible. The riverside area contains a number of sites with the potential for development but this has not previously been possible due to their location within zones of high flood risk.”
“Planning approval for this scheme marks the start of a new era for Derby with vital flood protection measures and the significant regeneration of key development sites along the riverside. We will see the city centre re-connected to the river and the important economic and social benefits associated with a reinvigorated riverside community.”
The objectives of the scheme are to:
- Reduce flood risk to protect people and property by creating realigned flood defences, using flood walls, raising and lowering of land to create embankments and the creation of a new flood conveyance corridor
- Maximise regeneration and sustainable development opportunities along the river frontage
- Release the economic potential of brownfield sites currently at significant risk of flooding
- Improve access to the riverside including pedestrian and cycle routes
- Enhance the significant heritage assets of the city to help promote tourism to the city
- Enhance ecology, wildlife and biodiversity along the river and deliver the Water Framework Directive objectives.
The overall scheme covers 13 kilometres of the River Derwent and is forecast to cost approximately £95 million with funding coming from a number of sources including Flood Defence Grant in Aid, the Environment Agency, Local Growth Fund and Derby City Council.
The aim is for the scheme to be completed by 2022, subject to securing planning approvals and funding - delivery of the project will be split into three packages to be delivered between 2015 and 2022 – contractor GBV will begin working in November on the first phase of the scheme.
Click here for more information on the Environment Agency’s major three-day conference and exhibition Flood and Coast 2016 which takes place from 23rd to 25th February 2016 in Telford.
Near-real-time microbial monitoring of wastewater discharge and bathing waters is now possible thanks to the BactoSense ID solution created by Swiss-based bNovate Technologies.
ABB has launched AquaMaster+™, a digital platform for smart water network management, designed to help water utilities monitor, analyze and manage their water networks, preventing pipeline water losses and optimizing operations.
Craig Nienaber, Business Development Manager for Safe Access Solutions (SAS) at HUBER Technology, explores why the company is seeing a growing level of interest in its safe access solutions for critical infrastructure providers, including their application in wastewater treatment assets.
Albion Water, the first NAV (New Appointment & Variation) to have been established in1999 and now under the ownership of SDS Water Group, has appointed Andy Holland as its new Director of Business Development.
Southern Water has released film and images showing what it’s like to walk inside Hampshire’s expanded Yew Hill underground reservoir for the very last time, before it gets filled with water.
Hear how Scottish Water has completed its £235 million Ayrshire Glasgow Resilience Project - customers across Greater Glasgow, Ayrshire and East Renfrewshire will now benefit from a more secure and resilient water supply.
Hear how United Utilities is accelerating its investment to reduce spills from storm overflows across the Northwest.