PLANS to develop flood defence measures upstream of York to tackle the increasing frequency of significant flooding events have taken a step forward.

Government funding of £5.8 million has been put towards plans to manage land alongside rivers upstream of the city for an “ambitious and innovative programme that has not previously been carried out on this scale”.

City of York councillors say tackling flood water before it reaches the city and other communities has been a long term aspiration. The city’s flood defences are being upgraded.

Cllr Paula Widdowson praised the work but warned that “the flood defences cannot continue to be increased in height without walling our city in”.

Cllr Widdowson said: “York is one of the worst affected areas in the UK for flooding and as such it’s something that residents and communities of York have to regularly endure.

“Since the 2015 Boxing Day floods it was often said that a catastrophic flood incident would only occur every century, however recent events and the increasing impact of climate change means that flooding of this scale will occur more frequently.”

She said solutions upstream are needed.

The funding from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs will be used to work with landowners in flood catchment areas across the River Swale, Ure and Nidd.

Cllr Widdowson said the project will improve protection against flooding for the city’s residents and businesses, adding: “It is an ambitious and innovative programme that has not previously been carried out on this scale.”

Cllr Andy D’Agorne said there has been an increasing number of significant flood events in the city in recent years.

He said: “It’s precisely the sort of measures that we’ve been saying we need to be looking at longer term rather than just trying to build higher defences within the city.

“Whether it was 2000 or 2012 or whenever, we’ve had a succession of significant flood events that are of the scale which were deemed to be unprecedented.”

The project will take six years to complete and is currently at an early stage, with a business case under development and wide consultation planned before any work gets underway.