Councils and environmental organisations across South Yorkshire have launched an ambitious plan this week to reduce flood risk and tackle the climate emergency head on.
First conceived after floods devastated South Yorkshire in 2019, the Connected by Water Action Plan will tackle the climate emergency head on by combining the construction of flood walls and barriers with nature-based solutions. The plan looks at the whole of the South Yorkshire region and considers how water can be managed from the peaks to the sea.
Local councils, the Environment Agency, Yorkshire Water and other organisations formed a partnership and work began on the action plan, which combines 144 actions and 100 projects with a total investment of £400 million to better protect over 17,000 homes, businesses and infrastructure across South Yorkshire.
South Yorkshire Mayor, Dan Jarvis officially launched the plan at a virtual event, with guest speakers including Floods Minister Rebecca Pow, Chair of the Environment Agency Emma Howard Boyd, Yorkshire Water Chief Executive Liz Barber and Chief Executive of Barnsley Council, Sarah Norman.
Image: Flooding in Rotherham November 2019
South Yorkshire Mayor, Dan Jarvis MP commented:
“After the devastating floods across South Yorkshire, I fought for government funding to protect us from a repeat of the scenes we saw in 2019 – securing £80m which has helped towards the launch of today’s flood catchment plan to protect the region.
“This ‘living plan’ will continue to evolve based on what we learn over the coming months and years, but it will always ensure that we protect homes and businesses across South Yorkshire from the devastating impact of flooding.
“A key part of this is using natural solutions to cut flood risk, like tree planting and land management, because it doesn’t just tackle flooding, it helps with nature recovery and gets us closer to our target of Net Zero carbon emissions by 2040 at the latest. Climate change is leading to increased rainfall and rising sea levels which hugely increase flood risks, but by introducing nature-based solutions to the mix we can break the cycle.”
Emma Howard Boyd, Chair of the Environment Agency, said that as climate shocks accelerate, the Connected by Water Action Plan would help secure investment to better protect thousands of properties and key economic and transport infrastructure.
Liz Barber, Chief Executive of Yorkshire Water, added:
“We’re looking forward to continuing our partnership approach to flood alleviation, with the Connected by Water partnership. The potential of this partnership goes way beyond benefits for one area or organisation, it’s about delivering wider benefits for all of our customers in South Yorkshire.”
Since November 2019, a partnership of organisations including the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority, Environment Agency, Barnsley Council, Doncaster Council, Rotherham Council, Sheffield City Council, and Yorkshire Water, have been working not only to deliver flood risk management schemes on the ground, but also to plan catchment-wide measures for the future to help meet the challenges of climate change.
An online public consultation provides the opportunity to view the plan in full – deadline to submit responses is 11th March.
Click here to access the consultation online
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