Associated British Ports, the  UK’s leading ports operator, has said that the £20-million Grimsby Flood Alleviation Scheme will create inward investment potential in the area.

Mike Sellers, ABP Port Manager, Grimsby and Immingham, commented as the Environment Agency chairman visited a new tidal defence in Cleethorpes:

“We feel that as well as safeguarding the community, the Flood Alleviation Scheme will also increase investment potential in the area, which will in turn provide employment opportunities for the very people whose homes we are protecting.”

“In the time that the Environment Agency has been on site, we have already seen further commitment from offshore wind operations and maintenance operators who want to base their activities in Grimsby; DONG Energy being the most recent of these. Robust flood defences can only make Grimsby more attractive to these organisations and others.”

Lord Chris Smith was joined by representatives from Associated British Ports and North East Lincolnshire Council to see the new flood defence take shape near to Blundell Park in Cleethorpes.

The works are part of the £20-million Grimsby Flood Alleviation Scheme. The scheme is being carried out by the Environment Agency in partnership with ABP and NELC to reduce flood risk to more than 14,000 properties in North East Lincolnshire.

ABP is the UK’s leading ports operator handling around one quarter of the nation’s seaborne trade. ABP’s estate of 21 ports totals 5000ha, including some 900ha of development land at key strategic locations around Britain. Mike Sellers added that ABP was consistently investing in its ports to make them more marketable in order to attract inward investment.

Lord Smith said:

“This scheme is a great example of partnership working. It’s built not just on financial assistance, but on tangible, practical partnership working from all three organisations, which is going to deliver very real benefits for the residents of North East Lincolnshire. It will also enable employment and economic growth to happen that would otherwise have been impossible”

Works on the Grimsby Flood Alleviation Scheme started last summer and will take two years to complete. The need for the flood defence scheme was identified as part of the Humber Flood Risk Management Strategy which was approved by Defra in 2008.

So far, the Grimsby scheme has seen 500m of sea wall – out of a total of 1,400m – placed in front of Grimsby’s Fish Dock. Works have now begun to install a further 600m of defence in Cleethorpes - the works are expected to be completed by April. In total, more than 270 wave-wall units will have been installed.