Residents urged to have their say on flood defence scheme

Flooding on The Walk 26/12/2015

Local residents and businesses are being urged to have their say on proposals to reduce the risk of future flooding in Rochdale.

Preliminary plans to construct a multi-million pound flood defence scheme will be unveiled to the Rochdale community on Thursday 29 June at Unity House, Belfield Road, Rochdale, OL16 2UP.

The community drop-in session, which will take place from 4pm-7pm, will allow the project team to share the latest developments and gather feedback as well as giving residents the chance to see potential plans up close.

Since the Boxing Day floods in 2015, which saw large parts of Rochdale’s town centre affected, the Environment Agency has been looking at ways to better protect the area in the future.

Working with a project team made up of specialists from Rochdale Council and consultants Jacobs, the agency is keen to introduce the potential scheme at a very early stage. The drop-in session on 29 June will allow residents to meet the team, discuss their options and give feedback from their own experiences.

Nick Pearson, Environment Agency Senior Advisor, said: “While the proposed Rochdale flood risk scheme is still in its very early stages, we are pleased to be in a position to share our developments with the local community.

“The community drop-in session is an ideal opportunity for people to learn about the latest plans for Rochdale. Environment Agency and Council officers will be on hand to explain the proposals and the steps people can take to prepare themselves against flooding. We'd like to hear the views of local residents and look forward to sharing ideas on how best to reduce flood risk in Rochdale."

Councillor Neil Emmott, Cabinet Member for Housing and Environment at Rochdale Borough Council, said: “We saw first-hand the devastating impact the 2015 floods had on our residents and businesses and don’t want to see that happen again. By working with the Environment Agency on this and other flood prevention schemes, like the new storage reservoir in Littleborough, we can ensure that, while we can’t stop flooding from happening, we can minimise its impact as much as possible.”