The 6 priority flood alleviation schemes
People, property, infrastructure and emergency services across the borough have been severely impacted by catchment wide flooding events in June 2007 and November 2019, and there has also been a number of other “near miss” flood events over the last two decades.
The image below shows the areas that were impacted during the November 2019 floods, which is the largest on record for many parts of the borough.
Recent flood events have not always resulted in widespread property flooding, however, they have still resulted in flooding of road, rail and tram-train networks. Flooding creates a dangerous situation, particularly if people become trapped within floodwater, or if transport networks and other local access routes become flooded. Impacts of flooding on sections of the transport network regularly causes significant disruption to many families and businesses across the borough. The predicted impacts of a changing climate will exacerbate this existing risk, and strategic solutions are needed to create a safe and prosperous place to live and work.
The Council is working with the Environment Agency (EA), South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA), Network Rail (NR), Canal & River Trust (CRT), plus many other organisations, asset owners and land owners to deliver 6 Priority Flood Alleviation Scheme (FAS) projects, in order to reduce flood risk across the borough.
Delivery of these FAS projects will significantly reduce flood risk to people, property and infrastructure, including:
- Approximately 290 residential properties (at risk of internal flooding)
- Approximately 360 business properties (at risk of internal flooding)
- Many more residential and business properties that suffer indirect impacts (where property access can be cut off by flooding)
- 8 sections of the strategic highways network (including key routes that need to be operational for emergency services during flood events)
- Rail and tram-train infrastructure (including services through Rotherham Central and Parkgate stations)
- Canal system (which includes residential moorings)
- Critical utility company infrastructure
- Community infrastructure
The FAS projects (with initial delivery cost estimates prepared in 2020) are:
Rotherham Renaissance FAS (£24m)
- i.e. new flood defences, bridge works, public realm improvement works and wetland creation along a 4km reach of the River Don, plus similar works at Kilnhurst
Parkgate & Rawmarsh FAS (£14m)
- i.e. new flood storage areas, new pumping station, watercourse/culvert improvement works and surface water management works, alongside 2 watercourses that flow through Parkgate and Rawmarsh towards the River Don
Whiston Brook FAS at Whiston (£4m)
- i.e. new flood storage areas, watercourse improvement works and surface water management works, alongside the small watercourse that flows through Whiston
Eel Mires Dike FAS at Laughton Common (£3m)
- i.e. new flood storage areas, watercourse/culvert improvement works and surface water management works, alongside and within the watercourses that flows through Laughton Common
Catcliffe pumping station (£5m)
- i.e. a new permanent pumping station to replace a resource intensive operational procedure that involves temporary pumping of 2 watercourses into the River Rother at Catcliffe
Culvert renewal programme (£2m)
- i.e. works to remediate and/or improve a number of culverts near flood risk areas located across the extent of the borough.
Following an allocation of £5.8m of the Council’s corporate resources in April 2021, pre-construction design/approvals work for the FAS projects is ongoing, and this is undertaken via collaborative working between the Council and a specialist Consultancy supply chain. The objective of this Consultancy work is to get each FAS project to a “Shovel Ready” status in 2024.This process is summarised below:
Where possible, the Council is also working to secure capital funding for construction works within a similar timeframe.