A multi-million pound flood defense scheme that will reduce the risk of flooding to homes and businesses in Skipton has been officially opened, according to the Environment Agency.
The £17.8 million project, led by the EA, helps to protect 378 homes and 165 businesses in the town center from flooding from Eller Beck and Waller Hill Beck, which rise very quickly after heavy rain. The project is designed to provide the town with this new level of protection over the course of the next 100 years.
Construction of the scheme started in March 2015, where two flood storage areas have been created upstream of Skipton at Eller Beck near Skipton Golf Club, and Waller Hill Beck to slow the flow of water from the surrounding hills, reducing the risk of the becks causing floods in the town center.
Sir James Bevan, Chief Executive of the Environment Agency , said: “ This scheme forms part of more than half a billion pounds worth of government funding which we are investing across the whole of Yorkshire between 2015-2021 to reduce flood risk to nearly 60,000 properties. ”
The new flood storage areas can hold a combined total of 111 million gallons of water equivalent to 168 Olympic sized swimming pools, or 5.2 million bathtubs.
The scheme also includes 300 meters of new flood defense walls including new raised walls that have been constructed in the town center at Morrison’s car park, and near private gardens and a children’s play area further upstream in the town.