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£8m Sheffield flood defence project receives high level support

An £8m scheme to improve flood defences in the Lower Don Valley of Sheffield has received more high level backing.

James Newman, chairman of the Sheffield City Region Local Enterprise Partnership, has voiced his belief that it is vital that businesses in this economically important area of the city support the scheme.

The Sheffield Lower Don Valley area was severely flooded in 2000 and 2007 causing massive disruption and multi-million pound damages to hundreds of businesses, power, transport and telecommunications infrastructure.

The flood defence plans have been developed by Sheffield City Council working closely with the Environment Agency, Sheffield Chamber of Commerce and representatives from affected businesses in the city.

When complete, the project will deliver nearly 40 separate interventions along the 8km stretch of the River Don.

The project will also put in place essential channel clearance and maintenance which will compliment the new defences.

This aims to improve current standards of flood protection, which are estimated as low as a 1 in 25-year event standard, to the target of a 1 in 100-year event standard plus a 40cm freeboard to allow for some climate change.

To ensure the project goes ahead businesses need to agree to contribute to the costs of the scheme through a Business Improvement District (BID) which would generate £1.4m.

It would see more than 250 affected companies in the Lower Don Valley making a payment calculated on their rateable value over a fixed period of five years.

Small companies with a rateable value less than £12,000 will be excluded from paying towards the project, while more than half of businesses in the BID area would pay less than £2,500 over five years towards the flood defences and river management.

James Newman, chairman of the Sheffield City Region LEP, said: “The Lower Don Valley is a significantly important part of the Sheffield City Region’s £25billion economy.

“It is home to hundreds of very successful businesses and creates thousands of highly skilled jobs.

“I support the Environment Agency, Sheffield City Council and Sheffield Chamber’s project, which responds to calls from business leaders to protect this important area against flooding in the future.

“By voting to create this Business Improvement District, local business leaders will be able to collectively take control of this problem - resolving the threat of flooding, improving the sustainability of their business community and attracting new investment to the Sheffield City Region.”

A BID has to be approved by a majority vote of businesses balloted on the plans. This will take place in December 2013. BIDs are common in other large cities, but this would be the first for Sheffield, and the first in the country to deliver a capital scheme such as flood defences.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Mark Lane .