Construction of a multi-million pound scheme to protect thousands of homes and businesses in Hull from flooding from the Humber has been given the go ahead.

The £42 million flood alleviation scheme, approved by Hull’s planning committee earlier this month on the fifth anniversary of the tidal surge that caused devastation tthe city, has now had final sign off from the Secretary of State for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.

Led by the Environment Agency, the Humber Hull Frontage Improvement Scheme will upgrade tidal flood defences at eight locations along the estuary foreshore, including at St Andrew’s Quay and Victoria Dock Village.

The fully government funded flood defences, which will see more than 7 kilometres of tidal flood defences along the Humber estuary improved, will provide a 1 in 200 year standard of protection and will reduce tidal risk for 113,000 homes and businesses.

The design of the flood defences will include some areas of glass panels to maintain a view of the waterfront.

The £42 million investment links to a further £16 million investment in tidal flood defences either side of Hull at Paull and Hessle, which is being delivered by East Riding of Yorkshire Council.

Now that the planning application has been approved, preliminary work is due to start at St Andrew’s Quay Retail Park early this year. The scheme will be delivered by contractor BMM JV – a joint venture between BAM Nuttall and Mott MacDonald - and is expected to be completed by March 2021.

Allan Rogers, framework director for BMM JV said:

“Having a role in this significant flood alleviation scheme is inspiring for our teams. We are delighted to be at the heart of the design and efficient delivery of schemes through water engineering and management (WEM), and contributing to the Environment Agency’s target of protecting homes and business’ across England.”

Computer model of flood defence scheme proposed for Victoria Dock Village East

Both the Humber Hull Frontage and work by East Riding of Yorkshire Council at Hessle and Paull are part of a number of tidal flood alleviation projects that form part of the Humber Flood Risk Management Strategy.

The Environment Agency and local partners are now in the process of developing an advanced approach to managing flooding in tidal areas by the River Humber for the next 100 years.

In addition to the work on the Humber frontage, more than £100 million is being invested in river and surface water flooding in Hull and the surrounding area.

In the past 65 years, there have been three major tidal events in Hull, the last was in December 2013 when 264 properties were flooded due to the overtopping of the existing defences. During high tides, water levels have the potential to rise to around 1 – 3m above some parts of the city.