'Huge amount of anxiety' over how long flood-hit Calderdale town's defences are taking to build

Flood programme partners raised their concerns with Environment Agency officers while discussing the multi-million pound scheme for Hebden Bridge.

Calder Valley MP, Josh Fenton-Glynn, whose Parliamentary and former Calder council ward includes Hebden Bridge, said: “There is a huge amount of anxiety that it is taking this long.”

The upper Calder Valley was severely flooded on Boxing Day 2015 and while Mytholmroyd works have now been successfully completed the lion’s share of Hebden Bridge’s scheme is only now due to start.

Coun Steven Leigh (Con, Ryburn) was frustrated by the long promised drawdown scheme for water from reservoirs above Hebden Bridge – lowering the amount of water held – was not yet fully sorted.

“Year after year, we’re hearing about aspirations and a restatement of the problems and, for me at least, it isn’t good enough,” he said.

Leader of the council, Coun Jane Scullion (Lab, Luddenden Foot) agreed “it is indeed a well-trodden path” and on the scheme overall said “there is understandable anxiety and a real desire to get on with it”,

Environment Agency officers said work was getting there and explained why it was taking so long.

Programme manager Jenny Cooke said detailed planning had to get it right before physical construction began – some elements to reduce risk have been done – and there were also some legislative hurdles.

“It’s really important to acknowledge frustrations and I recognise there is a particular concern about the time it has taken to design and develop a scheme for Hebden Bridge,” she said.

These were complex schemes for a number of reasons, particularly working in the highly constrained environment of the upper Calder Valley and detailed planning needed took time.

Tripling the size of the water channel, which might be possible in rural areas, would not work in the urban centre of Hebden Bridge.

“Each aspect of the River Calder and Hebden Water is lined by business or residential properties so bespoke design is needed to work with that in place to provide a robust flood risk structure that also takes into consideration local needs and ongoing uses of these properties,” she said.

“It also means there is no economy of scale – every five to 10 metres needs a different design, different material, different equipment construction technique and temporary works.

“It is really challenging,” she told Calderdale Flood Recovery and Resilience Programme Board.

Legislative changes also had effect, including requirements on Yorkshire Water to secure water supply, which impacted the reservoir drawdown scheme – which has been trialled – and on some structures, like Hebden Bridge’s historic Packhorse Bridge.

Ms Cooke said: “I would like to reassure the board and members of the community we are working really hard to deliver these important fluvial schemes.

“We absolutely acknowledge the scheme has been a long time in the making.

“Working in the Calder Valley has distinct and unique challenges that set it apart from other areas..

“Fundamentally the fluvial scheme will provide increased safety to those living and working in Hebden Bridge, and that is our priority.”