Works will begin today, Monday 11 November, on the first phase of the construction of habitat and a flood storage feature within a west Hull watercourse channel, to improve flood defences in the area.
Setting Dyke Catchment Improvement Scheme, based at Setting Dyke, which carries water from agricultural land in the East Riding, a storage lagoon and the surrounding neighbourhoods of Willerby, Derringham and Bricknell, will undergo construction to help prevent homes in the area from flooding.
Hull City Council is working with partners Dynamic Drains and Living with Water on the project which will also help to increase biodiversity in an urban area.
The scheme, funded through Environment Agency Flood Defence Grant in Aid, has been designed to provide opportunities for the local community to engage in litter picking to help with both the flood resilience and habitat protection.
Signage will explain what the feature is for and how to use the infrastructure provided to safely litter pick in the dyke.
Nearby residents and stakeholders have already been notified of the works and members of the council’s flood risk team will on site over the coming days to answer questions the public may have.
Cllr Jack Haines, portfolio holder for communities at the council, said: “People in Hull know first-hand just how horrific and traumatic flooding can be, that’s why one of the council’s key priorities in Hull is to take all the steps we can to reduce the risk of flooding.
“Alongside these initiatives, we are prioritising working with communities to ensure that they are aware of Hull’s flood risk and feel involved in the plans we’re carrying out to protect them and their homes from flooding.
“As we see the effects of climate change more and more, flagship projects like this will be vital in helping to manage water and flooding in the city. Schemes like this also create opportunities for biodiversity and environmental enhancement in an urban setting.”
Phase one of the Setting Dyke Catchment Improvement Scheme will see steel steps and railings installed on the north edge of the dyke to allow the public to clear small debris and litter.
A flood platform, planted with marginal rushes and reeds, will be constructed within the ditch at a height just above the average winter depth of the flow, to provide more space for higher flows and will serve to trap sediment.
Additionally, this measure, along with a large woody debris stuffed gully section downstream, will deliver environmental enhancements, habitat creation and sediment and debris control.
Finally, excavated material from the flood platform construction will be used to fortify the bunds on the northern side of the dyke opposite a spillway into the functional floodplain to further protect the properties on Cropton Road.
During construction, there will be short term disruption to the bridge access over the dyke at the northwest corner of Bricknell Playing Field, however the Public Right of Way access along the dyke and through the wood will be maintained.