The Environment Agency is getting ready to start enabling work on a £56 million flood alleviation scheme in Rochdale and Littleborough.

The new scheme is being led by the Environment Agency in partnership with Rochdale Borough Council, Network Rail, the North West Regional Flood and Coastal Committee, Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM), and the Departments for Education and Transport.

The Rochdale and Littleborough flood alleviation scheme will be one of the largest inland flood management projects in the north of England.

It features a range of measures to reduce the risk of flooding to 1,000 residential properties and 200 local businesses across Rochdale and Littleborough.

Councillor Neil Emmott, Cabinet Member for Quality of Place at Rochdale Borough Council, said:

“We’ve been working with the Environment Agency and other partners over a number of years to bring this much needed investment in to help us mitigate the impact of floods, which can have such a devastating impact on communities.

“This project, one of the biggest flood alleviation schemes in the north of England, will make a huge difference to residents and businesses on the ground and I’m really pleased to see it progress.”

The first phase of the scheme involves the construction of a storage reservoir at Gale and a programme of measures to improve water flow and flood defences along the River Roch and its tributaries. The measures will improve flood protection for 1,000 residential properties and 200 local businesses.

The project, part of the wider £56 million Rochdale and Littleborough flood alleviation scheme, will also protect vital infrastructure, including local transport networks, schools and colleges.

The initial works, which are scheduled to start early April, will prepare the sites for further construction later this year with a second planning application set to be submitted in the autumn.

Funding support includes £3 million Department of Transport investment

The scheme, which is also supported by the Departments of Education and Transport, is one of a number of flood alleviation measures which have taken place across the borough following the devastating Boxing Day floods of 2015.

The next phase of the project will focus on storage reservoirs and flood defence improvements between Smithy Bridge and Rochdale town centre and the whole project is expected to be completed by late 2025.

Nick Pearson Flood Risk Advisor with the Environment Agency said:

“This is a step closer to constructing the Rochdale and Littleborough Flood Risk Management scheme which is fantastic news as it will benefit residents, businesses, the local economy and local wildlife. The improved flood defences will play a crucial role in better protecting the wider community from the risk of flooding into the future.

“By delivering these works ahead of constructing the main flood alleviation scheme, we will be able to reduce the risk of unknown issues coming to light and keep any disruption for the local community, to a minimum. All our work will be carried out in line with the Government coronavirus guidelines and activities will continue to be reviewed so that they can be completed safely.”

Rory Kingdon, senior sponsor at Network Rail, commented:

“Pooling resources with the Environment Agency to tackle flooding in Rochdale and Littleborough is win-win for householders and passengers on the Calder Valley line.

“This section of track has flooded 33 times in eight years. It’s caused trains to be delayed for a combined total of 14,000 minutes – that’s more than nine and a half days of significant disruption to passengers travelling in Lancashire, Yorkshire and Greater Manchester.”

“The £3 million Department of Transport investment to build a new underbridge this October will divert floodwater away from high risk sites and increase the weather resilience of the line, which will be used as a diversionary route for passengers during the Transpennine Route Upgrade.”