First phase of Upper Don Flood Alleviation Scheme complete

The first phase of improvements to Sheffield’s flood defences are now complete in the Loxley Valley, Hillsborough. 

The Upper Don Flood Alleviation Scheme aims to protect 63 homes and 152 businesses from the damaging effects of flooding, like those seen in the area in 2007 and 2019.

The recently complete phase saw improvements to flood defences on the Lower Loxley, Hillsborough and Owlerton. The work included works within existing businesses and homes, sheet piling and building a series of walls all while considering the most effective way to protect the environment and ecology of the area.

Council is working alongside the Environment Agency and the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority on the wider Upper Don Flood Alleviation Scheme.

“This is part of a catchment-wide approach using engineered defences as well as natural flood management techniques in the upper reaches to hold back and slow the flow of water, reducing flood risk downstream. This is one of our ambitions through our work with the Connected by Water alliance to tackle the impacts of climate change across South Yorkshire,” said Stewart Mounsey, Yorkshire area director at the Environment Agency.

The flood protection schemes are part of the Council’s commitment to making Sheffield a greener city that adapts to climate change and manages flood risks more sustainably.