People were able to find out more about a £9.5 million flood risk management scheme in Stoke-on-Trent which aims to protect homes and businesses, regenerate the area and could lead to hundreds of jobs.
The Environment Agency hosted a drop-in event on Thursday to provide details about the work which centres on a 500-metre stretch of Fowlea Brook – a tributary of the River Trent – between Shelton Old Road and the Civic Centre.
A range of solutions have been developed to reduce risk including embankments, flood defence walls and the construction of a new section of channel.
This will increase the standard of protection for 20 hectares of land, which is currently designated as flood zone 3 (an area that has a 1% or greater chance of flooding from a river in a year). In turn this will enable regeneration estimated to be worth £31.5 million and up to 570 jobs.
The £9.5 million cost is largely being covered by Environment Agency Flood Defence Grant in Aid, with contributions from the Trent Regional Flood and Coastal Committee, Stoke-on-Trent Local Enterprise Partnership, Stoke-on-Trent City Council and a private developer.
The Environment Agency is working with Eagle Rock Investments Ltd, which is the landowner of the site and has given permission for construction work to take place.
Preparation for the main construction works has already begun with vegetation being cleared to make way for construction traffic. As part of the scheme, the Environment Agency has pledged to replant five trees for every one removed within the working area.
Construction work is expected to start in October and will take approximately two years to complete.
Environment Agency Flood Risk Team Leader for the West Midlands, Mark Swain, said: “While properties in the area have thankfully not flooded since 1997, there is a high risk of flash flooding and water levels can increase by more than a meter in 15 minutes, particularly during summer thunderstorms as we saw in July 2021.
“This scheme will help to better protect the area from the devastating impact of flooding and make it more resilient to effects of climate change. It will also enable the area to be regenerated and help to create up to 570 jobs.”
The Environment Agency Drop-in day was held at the Factory Floor suite, at the Potbank, Spode.
Jeff Nash, director of developer Dog and Bone Properties, which has brought parts of the Spode site back into use as business studios, a hotel and popular restaurant and venue, welcomed the project.
He said: “This £9.5 million scheme will have a major impact on Stoke bringing a lot of new investment and jobs.”
