£800,000 pledged to halt flooding in Pickering (From Gazette & Herald)

£800,000 pledged to halt flooding in Pickering

12:44pm Wednesday 30th June 2010 in News By David Jeffels

FLOODS could soon be a thing of the past in Pickering thanks to Ryedale District Council’s decision to spend £800,000 on a defence scheme.

Paul Cresswell, the council’s corporate director, revealed that the plan is to build defences in the Pickering Beck catchment area which will play a major part in stemming the flow of floodwater in the area.

The plan is to create earthworks known as bunds across the back in two places to direct floodwater into fields rather than along the beck into Pickering.

There is already a scheme above Pickering and Sinnington, which has also suffered extensive flooding in the past, which involves extensive tree planting, restoration of wood debris dams in the River Severn catchment area, and a forestry scheme at Cropton to slow down peak flows.

Flooding in Pickering dates back to the1930s, said Mr Cresswell told last week’s policy and resources committee meeting. This scheme is designed to tackle the level of flooding which is anticipated to occur once every 15 years.

Mr Cresswell said the Environment Agency was set to contribute £150,000 towards the project. Other defence schemes had been investigated, including altering weirs and sluices, creating small upstream bunds and improved maintenance.

The original ambitious scheme drawn up in 2003 was costed at £6.3 million, he added Coun Howard Keal, spokesman for the Pickering Flood Defence Group, said: “I am very happy that something is at last being built.”

But he added that the scheme would probably only benefit about half the homes in the town which had been hit by previous floods. Coun Keal said the Environment Agency should be asked to do more to enhance the protection level.

“But this is a big step in the right direction.”

Pickering member Coun Linda Cowling said: “A tremendous amount of work has gone into bringing this scheme forward. It will be tremendous value for money. It will make life so much better for many people in Pickering.”

Coun Keith Knaggs, the council leader, said it was unfortunate that Pickering people were having to pay twice for the defences, because they had already contributed through the Environment Agency, and were now paying again through Ryedale District Council. However, he hoped the scheme could be built on in the future to improve the defences.

Delighted town mayor Coun Joan Lovejoy said it was a momentous decision. “It is extremely good news for many people and businesses in Pickering. We have waited a long time for action and hopefully this will provide the town with a scheme which will prove effective because so many people have suffered because of flooding in the past.”

* Thirsk and Malton MP, Anne McIntosh, chairman elect of the government’s Environment, Food and Rural Affairs select committee, has asked for an update on the state of flood defences in her constituency, including Pickering.

She said this week: “Even though North Yorkshire is currently experiencing a relatively dry spell, defences need to be in place for any potential future floods.”

Ms McIntosh said she had asked to meet landowners whose land could be used to store flood water north of Pickering.

* The Environment Agency announced yesterday (Tuesday) that it was launching a service under which individuals and businesses at risk of flooding can monitor local river and sea levels on-line.