Two more years until flood storage scheme is built to protect York

Council officials had hoped that the storage area near Strensall would be created this summer and be ready in time for the coming winter, helping to protect properties alongside the River Foss from any risk of a repeat of the 2015 Boxing Day floods.

But the Environment Agency says it only received confirmation of planning permission in August and it was now getting ready to start the work, with completion expected in autumn 2023 - subject to no delays being caused by flooding.

Ryedale District Council and City of York Council both approved the plans late last year, after which it was expected work would start in the spring.

Corporate director Neil Ferris said in January that the threat of flooding from the Foss because of heavy rainfall in the catchment should be reduced by the coming winter through the planned construction of the storage area in the summer.

But an agency spokeswoman said yesterday it had only received confirmation in August that planning conditions had been fully discharged.

She said the agency was preparing to start on site by the end of the year, with works due to complete by autumn 2023 - “subject to weather conditions, which would be the case for most of our schemes.”

She said that since the design completion/contractor partner had been in place, the construction period had always been two earth work seasons, of April to September/October, and therefore the agency was now looking at the major works taking place during those periods in 2022 and 2023.

“The combination of the Foss flood storage area and the upgraded Foss barrier will provide a much improved level of flood resilience, better protecting properties and key road networks, from Strensall down into the city centre,” she said.

Chris Ashcroft, of the agency, told councillors that the scheme had “been a really complicated one,” adding: “Weather-dependent, we are hoping to make a minor start on site this year.”

The agency has said previously that the purpose of the storage area was to help reduce peak flows in the river, therefore reducing flooding downstream.

It said that during heavy rain, the structure would fill with water, temporarily holding back flood water and reducing the flood risk to properties along the Foss Corridor, towards York city centre. Once the flood had passed, the water in the storage area would subside.

It said that for the vast majority of time, the structure would not need to be used in this way which meant farming practices would be able to continue in the area. It said the areas were not like reservoirs and did not store water permanently.

The agency has already taken action to prevent a repeat of the 2015 Floss floods by strengthening the pumps at the Foss Barrier, which pump water out of the river into the Ouse but which were overwhelmed in 2015 by the sheer volume of water coming downstream.