CONSTRUCTION work is set to start this month on four major flood defence schemes across York.

More than five years after the devastating floods of December 2015, the Environment Agency has revealed that it is to:

l Install a new, larger flood gate in an archway under Lendal Bridge.

l Start building a new flood wall in Bishopthorpe.

l Create a site compound in the Marygate car park to begin work on raising the height of flood walls, gates and an embankment.

l Close Terry Avenue to enable construction work to start on defences for Clementhorpe.

A spokesman said the floodgate installation at Lendal Bridge was the final stage of boosting defences from Ouse Bridge to Scarborough Bridge on the station side, which had included raising them at North Street Gardens and Memorial Gardens.

“This section of the flood scheme better protects 39 homes and businesses from flooding, as well as access roads,” he said, adding the arch was set to shut for about two months.

He said the Bishopthorpe work included the construction of a 180 metre-long flood wall running along Chantry Lane and the boundary of the grounds of Bishopthorpe Palace, incorporating a six metre-deep steel barrier underground and a floodgate across the bottom of Chantry Lane.

“This reduces the risk of flooding to 117 properties, as well as Main Street, therefore helping to protect access for residents in the south of the village.”

In the Marygate area, work would include raising the flood embankment in the Museum Gardens, as well as increasing the height of the flood walls and gates between Scarborough Bridge and the gardens, including installing glass panels on top of the defences along Earlsborough Terrace. “The work will reduce the risk of flooding to 57 homes and businesses in the Marygate area,” he said.

The Clementhorpe scheme would include complex underground work, with a 240 metre-long and six metre-deep semi-permeable barrier installed to prevent flood waters seeping through the ground and undermining overground flood defences.

“This work will require large machinery to be used that requires appropriate safety precautions to be taken. To ensure the safety of the public, a section of Terry Avenue will be closed from Skeldergate Bridge to just before the entrance to Dukes Wharf. The closure date is yet to be confirmed by the agency’s contractors but is currently expected to start on Monday, May 17 and take 12 months.” He said the scheme would provide improved flood protection to 135 homes and businesses.

He said the agency had worked with City of York Council and the community to create suitable diversion routes, which were reviewed and approved by an independent road safety auditor.

Scheme director Ben Hughes said this was a "big month", and the start of work was "great news for the city," adding: “We understand that parts of the work could be inconvenient for some people, including walkers and cyclists who use the riverside route, but the scheme is essential for long-term resilience of the city.”