PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
Flood Control: Worcestershire (31 October 2019)

The Environment Agency (EA) is continuing to work with partners and the local community to reduce the impacts of flooding in Severn Stoke. The EA is undertaking further modelling and assessments of a proposed design for a flood alleviation scheme. Given the small rural community, this project is an economically challenging scheme and the EA is working with wider professional parties to identify a suitable delivery route and viable way for the scheme to be built. Subject to planning approval and adequate funds being in place it is anticipated that work can commence on site in 2020 to ensure completion during 2021. The EA anticipate the local community will be able to submit an outline planning application this winter.

Tenbury has suffered from extensive flooding on a number of occasions with direct impacts affecting homes and businesses. An economic appraisal of the feasibility design completed in 2007 estimated that delivery of a full flood defence scheme would cost around £5.5 million. However, the scheme as it stands is unlikely to attract more than £1 million of Flood Defence Grant in Aid, leaving a substantial partnership funding gap.

The EA are currently updating this appraisal to re-assess the scale of defences required but do not anticipate the revised potential costs to have changed significantly, they may have potentially increased. Because of the funding deficit, the scheme will not be able to progress until significant contributions have been secured. The EA are reviewing all delivery options for the scheme, including engaging with Local Enterprise Partnerships, businesses and the local authority and continues to look at strategic options.

The EA continues to actively work with local flood action groups in both locations. In the meantime property level flood resilience measures were installed to a limited number of properties between 2010 and 2012 and these were in operation last weekend.