Whaley Bridge: Dam repairs could cost up to £16m

Hundreds of residents were forced out of Whaley Bridge over fears the dam would give way

A dam, whose partial collapse led to a town being evacuated, is set to be repaired at a cost of up to £16m.

About 1,500 people were evacuated from Whaley Bridge in August 2019 over fears the Derbyshire town would be flooded.

The Canal & River Trust's plans include building a weir and spillway at Toddbrook Reservoir.

A public consultation will be launched in the spring and, subject to planning permission, the two-year project will start at the end of 2021.

The final plans will see water guided round the north of the main dam in a new spillway

The plans mean the spillway, which was damaged in 2019, will be decommissioned and the dam slope grassed.

The play park at its base will have to be remodelled but the Canal & River Trust, which manages the dam and reservoir, said it would remain an "enjoyable and open public space".

Daniel Greenhalgh, North West director for the trust, said: "Repairing the reservoir is a huge engineering challenge and public safety is our top priority.

"The permanent repair design has been shaped by local feedback and guided by modern engineering best practice.

"The new spillway will unfortunately require the relocation of the Sailing Club's clubhouse and slipway.

"We appreciate this will have a substantial impact on the club but we are committed to working with them to ensure we provide suitable replacement buildings, boat storage and slipway to support their continued use and enjoyment of the reservoir once the project is complete."

Concrete panels on the current spillway are set to be removed and replaced with a grassy bank

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The trust said 13 different permanent options had been considered.

The plans include the new side channel weir, a "tumble bay", spillway channel and stilling basin.

The stilling basin will then connect with the River Goyt, at the existing location, via a channel through the park.

While the work should be completed by 2023, the reservoir will not reopen to the public until early 2024, the trust said.

The partially collapsed dam spillway at Toddbrook Reservoir risked flooding Whaley Bridge in August 2019

The trust was criticised last year after an official report found the partial collapse of the dam was caused by poor design and a lack of maintenance.

Report author Prof David Balmforth made 22 recommendations to improve safety across the reservoir network, which were accepted by the government.

At the time, the trust said it is "acting on all the lessons learnt from this incident".