​Redvales and Radcliffe residents given chance to view £46 million flood prevention plans

Residents of Redvales and Radcliffe are being given the chance to view the latest proposals for a £46 million flood prevention scheme at an upcoming community drop-in session.

Hosted by the Environment Agency and Bury Council, the drop-in session will take place on Monday 10th December from 4pm-7pm at Radcliffe Road Baptist Church, BL9 9LH. It is the latest stage in the public engagement on the plans and will give any objectors an opportunity to air their concerns. The planning application for work at Close Park has now been submitted and this is an opportunity for people to see the plans. It is also an opportunity to find out more about the wider scheme.

The scheme, which is designed to protect 870 properties while bringing wider benefits to the community such as increased green spaces and economic growth, has continued to make significant progress over the last couple of months with detailed designs being developed and planning applications for the first phase of work due to be submitted on 5th December and 30th January respectively.

Under current plans, construction of the defences is scheduled from the spring of 2019, subject to planning permission, with the remaining design proposals for phase two set to be completed by summer 2019. Construction of phase two will begin in 2020.

The upcoming drop-in session will reveal Phase 1 of the scheme to the public while providing an overview of work that has been conducted so far

Environment Agency officers and representatives from Bury Council will also be on hand throughout the event to discuss and answer any questions residents may have.

Peter Costello, Flood and Coastal Risk Team Leader with the Environment Agency, said: “We have been working hard to address the issue of flooding in areas with known risk since the devastation brought by Storm Eva in 2015. Since then, we have successfully completed many schemes across the whole of Greater Manchester and we are pleased to, once again, be in the position to offer residents of Radcliffe and Redvales the opportunity to see the the latest developments for managing future flood risk within their community.

“This is a major scheme, which incorporates the beautiful Close Park, but one that will significantly reduce the risk of flooding in the area and ensure that people and properties are protected. When the work is complete, there will be many benefits for the community including a better environment and access to the river. There are still hurdles to get over, including planning and approval of the business case however, the project is moving forward and the project team and our partners at Bury Council remain committed and positive on our achieving completion of the scheme by March 2021.

“We are now in the final design stage but the scheme is still evolving and we want to work really closely with residents to keep them updated every step of the way. We would therefore, encourage everyone who lives in the Redvales and Radcliffe area to come along to the drop-in session on Monday to find out more.”

Councillor Alan Quinn, Bury Council’s cabinet member for the environment, said: “No one affected by the Boxing Day floods will ever forget the devastation that they caused. These are multi-million pound plans which will transform the local environment and hopefully bring security for many hundreds of our residents. They should also help to attract more investment to continue the regeneration of Radcliffe. I urge everyone to go to this drop-in session, see the plans, have their say and talk to the people from the council and the Environment Agency. We want people to have as much knowledge of the scheme as possible.”

ENDS

Issued: 6 December 2018.

Notes to editors:

Image shows the preferred scheme option for Radcliffe and Redvales.

Residents at risk of flooding should always prepare in advance by going online at http://bit.ly/QEBvEJ and signing up for free flood warnings. Alternatively, they can telephone the Environment Agency Floodline on 0345 988 1188 and find out what they can do to protect themselves and their property when flooding hits.

It is also important to plan how you’ll respond to a flood. Visit https://www.gov.uk/prepare-for-flooding/future-flooding and use the template to make a personal or community wide flood action plan.