River Don Flood Protection Program Progresses Well

The River Don flood defense scheme, which started in design in 2014, is progressing well with construction and is due to be completed later this year, according to the Sheffield City Council.

The Lower Don Valley (LDV) scheme is one of six flood protection programs taking place across Sheffield, which together aim to significantly reduce the chance of large-scale flooding ever happening again in the city.

Councillor Bryan Lodge, cabinet member for the environment, said: “We all remember the 2007 floods that caused such devastation to the city and, tragically, the loss of two lives.

“That’s why I’m so pleased that we pressed ahead with this flood protection scheme on the lower River Don, and are also progressing other flood protection programs across the city.

“We will do, and are doing, our very best to protect Sheffield from flooding, now and into the future.”

The project involves the installation of more than 50 new flood protection measures, located along an 8km stretch of the River Don through the city’s historic industrial heartland between the Wicker and the M1 near Meadowhall.

The final stages of the program involve works at numerous locations, but predominantly along Meadowhall Road, and are set to be completed in the summer.

As well as providing improved physical flood defenses such as new walls, dams and flood gates, the project is delivering a river channel maintenance program to keep the river, particularly at “pinch points” such as bridges and culverts, clear of debris which can build up and exacerbate flooding – as occurred in 2007.

Around 90 per cent of the funding for the scheme came from the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Environment Agency (EA), enabled by a significant contribution of £1.4 million from the private sector raised through a Business Improvement District (BID).

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