The upgraded Foss Barrier in York
There has been positive coverage today of the official opening of the £38 million upgrade to the Foss Barrier in York which will help to better protect 2,000 properties in the city and make it more resilient to the impacts of climate change.
BBC News Online and York Press both report on the upgrades, which included replacing the old gate and its structure, improvements to the mechanical and electrical equipment needed to control the barrier and installing eight new high-powered pumps, increasing the pumping capacity from 30 to 50 cubic metres per second.
The Yorkshire Post also carries an op-ed from Floods Minister Rebecca Pow in which she highlights her delight at seeing these upgrades completed - just one part of the significant ongoing investment in flood schemes across Yorkshire and the Humber, with over £500m invested across the region since 2015.
Emma Howard Boyd, Chair of the Environment Agency, said:
York is a historic city which is no stranger to the effects of flooding. The upgraded Foss Barrier and flood defence work across the city will make people and businesses more resilient to future climate impacts. York has always managed to prosper through floods from its great rivers and as climate change makes the rest of the world more vulnerable to flooding York's progress is a model.
The Environment Agency's work here continues and with further investments we are upgrading and creating new flood storage areas as well as installing bespoke property level protection to homes and businesses across the city. We are also working with partners upstream to find storage capacity and natural flood management opportunities in the Swale, Ure, Nidd and Ouse catchments.
Emma Howard Boyd, Chair of the Environment Agency (left), attends the official openings of the upgrades to the Foss Barrier in York
Floods Minister Rebecca Pow said:
The completion of upgrades to the Foss Barrier is an important day for the people of York. It's part of more than £80 million of government funding for flood defences in the city since the devastating floods on Boxing Day 2015, helping to protect 2,000 homes and businesses from the impacts of climate change.
This is part of significant ongoing investment in flood schemes across Yorkshire and the Humber, with over half a billion pounds invested across the region since 2015 - more than any other part of the country.
Environment Agency staff at the opening of the upgraded Foss Barrier in York
Government has provided £45 million in funding toward flood defence work in the city since the devastating Boxing Day flood of 2015, in addition to £38 million to upgrade the Foss Barrier to provide better flood protection to properties along the Rivers Ouse and Foss.
The Foss Barrier protects properties by stopping flood water from the River Ouse backing up along the dRiver Foss after heavy rainfall and was originally built in 1987.
The upgrade of the Foss Barrier, completion of new flood defences around Memorial Gardens and North St, Lower Bootham, Marygate, the village of Bishopthorpe, and the roll out of flood resilience products means that over 2,000 properties are now better protected against the risk of flooding. Many more are to be protected through the year with the completion of flood defence work near Clementhorpe.
With the majority of inner-city work near completion, attention will focus on major construction work on flood schemes at Clifton and Rawcliffe and the Foss flood storage area which will hold up to a million cubic metres of water during severe weather and protect a further 630 properties.