City's new flood barriers offer 'no protection'

The flooded River Ouse in York

Plans for removable barriers which would be used instead of sandbags to protect York homes and businesses from flooding have been approved despite concerns from those living nearby.

Environment Agency plans would see the barriers deployed across Tower Street during floods to stop water from the River Ouse reaching the River Foss.

Mark Fuller, of the Environment Agency (EA), told councillors the barrier could be put up more quickly than sandbags and works related to the scheme would benefit hundreds of nearby homes.

But resident John Dench claimed the defences offered them "no protection" and could see flood water channelled towards their homes.

The area around Tower Street near St George's Field car park will see a range of improvements

The Environment Agency’s scheme would see retaining walls built in front of the York Crown Court embankment to support the barrier, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The council’s planning committee heard the removable barrier would be stored at the Environment Agency’s depot in Selby and could be transported and deployed to York when needed.

The plans were drawn up following floods in 2015 and the Environment Agency estimates that they could protect 627 homes.

The EA’s flood risk manager Mr Fuller told the committee on 26 September that those affected in 2015 were keen to see the scheme approved.

'Modern and quicker'

Mr Fuller said: “The impact of not completing this project could be devastating for homes and businesses along the Foss corridor as well as putting key transport links in the city at risk.

“If water goes five metres above normal levels there’s a real risk that it could come over the top of the River Ouse into the River Foss, water would be pumped round in circles in the Foss basin and that would be catastrophic.

“We’re proposing to replace sandbags with something that’s more modern and quicker to deploy.”

But residents living off Tower Street, including in Peckitt Street and South Esplanade, claimed the scheme would leave them unprotected by holding water by their homes.

Resident Mr Dench told councillors the Environment Agency had been unable to persuade them to support the scheme.

The resident said: “We want a wider scheme that brings our homes into the same level of protection as the others.”

Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North or tell us a story you think we should be covering here.