You are receiving this message because you opted to be contacted about the Wortley Beck flood risk study via email when filling in our online survey, or directly requested to be kept up to date. If you do not wish to receive these updates going forward, you can manage your subscription preferences at the bottom of this email.
Thank you to everyone who contributed to our online consultation of our long list of options for reducing flooding from Wortley Beck. Your feedback is greatly appreciated, as it helps us to better understand flooding in the area, and to identify the potential solutions to take forward for further study.
We have studied all the feedback so far and collated it into themes. You can read our responses to those themes below:
1. The impact of solutions upstream and downstream
The area that we are assessing for this study is large and includes possible solutions at various locations. Because of this, understandably we had a lot of feedback that certain solutions in the downstream areas such as Lower Wortley may not have the desired flood alleviation benefit upstream in areas such as Troydale.
We will continue to refine our modelling as the study progresses and will be paying particular attention to the proposed solutions that offer the most benefit for the whole catchment. This catchment-wide approach may require interventions at various points on the Beck.
2. The risk of flooding elsewhere will not be increased
We received several comments from residents who were concerned that some of the solutions suggested may make flooding worse elsewhere once implemented.
For any new flood alleviation scheme to be approved, at various stages we must provide evidence that it cannot increase flood risk to residents, businesses, or infrastructure elsewhere. We have used some of the information provided to verify our flooding models.
3. The impact of previous developments
We received a range of comments about various recent developments that are perceived to have increased flood risk in the catchment over the years.
Leeds City Council and the Environment Agency both have development control standards for any applications for development within Flood Zones 2 and 3, and within 8 metres of a main river. There are several pieces of legislation and guidance which are in place to ensure that any new developments in these areas are guided away from flood plains and must produce flood risk assessments which demonstrate that the development does not increase flood risk elsewhere both in the present day and in the future climate change scenarios.
The development control team in the Flood Risk Management department of Leeds City Council assesses approximately 1800 planning applications each year and work tirelessly to ensure that flood risk is not increased throughout the city.
The work we are undertaking now to reduce flood risk from Wortley Beck will begin with the latest modelling, as the situation is now, and ensure that we reduce flooding to the areas that need it most, without making flooding worse elsewhere.
4. Farnley Balancing Reservoir
As it was listed as an area of focus for the scheme, we received many comments on the Farnley Balancing Reservoir.
We understand that there is significant interest in maintenance of this Yorkshire Water asset. We have shared your comments with Yorkshire Water and continue to work with them on the scheme.
Many of the comments were around clearing out or dredging the silt from the reservoir. Removing the silt from the reservoir would have little impact on the asset’s ability to store flood water, as any space created by dredging would be filled with permanent water, essentially topping the capacity back up. What we are assessing as part of our study is how to make improvements to this asset to increase its effectiveness in managing flood risk.
5. The wider benefits of flood storage areas
There were a few comments that suggested that any flood storage areas created could have a negative impact on the local area – that they might become stagnant puddles or impact on walking routes.
The Leeds City Council Flood Resilience Team has a mantra – “It’s not just flooding”.
When planning any flood storage area, we will take into consideration the impact it will have on local wildlife. Interventions Will be designed, where possible to enhance existing locations both for wildlife and the public. Across our other schemes, we have created regularly maintained wildflower meadows and created wetlands and boggy areas, all of which can hold water when required, and offer unique benefits to various types of wildlife. We have also installed features for residents, like public seating and footpaths.
6. Dredging
There were a range of comments suggesting that we should undertake dredging along the beck.
Leeds City Council and The Environment Agency no longer utilise dredging as a flood alleviation method in most instances. This practice is expensive, can offer only a very short-term solution to flooding, and can be damaging to wildlife. You can read more about the Environment Agency’s approach to dredging here.
7. Natural Flood Management
There were a range of comments suggesting that we should include natural flood management techniques such as planting trees to alleviate flooding.
Alongside more traditional engineered flood defenced, natural flood management techniques are being assessed as part of many of our schemes, including this one. They offer sustainable flood alleviation alongside carbon capture and increased biodiversity – but some measures like tree planting can take several years for the full benefit to be realised, which is why in many cases they are combined with engineered defences.
For more information on the different types of natural flood management we are looking to implement across Leeds, see these excellent videos from our colleagues at the Cumbria Wildlife Trust.
Next Steps
Next we will continue to assess the options and refine them further into a shortlist based on the insight gathered from our online survey, as well as further modelling.
The shortlisted options will then be investigated further to assess their benefits and affordability, and to develop the design for our preferred option(s). Following this another round of consultation will take place to present results from this phase of work and provide opportunity to comment the preferred option(s) to take forward, this is likely to be in summer 2023.
You can read the latest information on the study on our dedicated web page.
Additional Information
What to do in a flood event
Leeds City Council and the Environment Agency have completed several flood alleviations schemes across the city, which have significantly improved the resilience to flooding across Leeds. Despite this, there is still some risk to our residents, particularly as we enter what are typically the wetter months. That is why it is important for everyone to take steps to increase their own flood resilience and create a plan for flooding.
There are some steps that all residents can take to improve their flood resilience for free:
- Create a flood plan for your home or business using the template from the Environment Agency
- Sign up for flood alerts in your area for free on gov.uk
- Read guidance on the different types of flood warnings, and what they mean for your home or your travel plans
There is support available to help residents prepare for flooding. You can find advice on what to do before, during and after a flood on the Leeds City Council website.
Please also note that Leeds City Council do not provide sandbags to residents and businesses during a flood. We must prioritise our limited stock of sandbags for:
- working with emergency services
- keeping priority roads open
- protecting services such as hospitals, care homes and schools
- supporting recognised flood groups
You can find more information on how to source your own sandbags or alternatives on the Leeds City Council Website.
You're up to date
Thank you for taking the time to stay up to date with the Wortley Beck Flood Risk Study. For further information see our dedicated web page.
If you have any questions, please get in touch with us using the contact details below (Monday - Friday excluding bank holidays, 9am - 5pm).
Tel: 0113 378 7304
Email: FRM@leeds.gov.uk
Twitter: @LeedsFAS
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