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Leeds (River Aire) Flood Alleviation Scheme

Leeds has suffered from localised flooding in recent years which caused significant disruption to local residents,Leeds riverside businesses and commuters. However, these floods were relatively small and there is always the risk of a much larger flood.

We have been working in close partnership with Leeds City Council over the last three years to design a flood alleviation scheme for 19km of river from Kirkstall, through the city centre to Woodlesford.

Our planned scheme allowed for the expected increase in flooding levels that we predict will happen because of climate change. Such a large scale scheme in a sensitive urban landscape was estimated to cost in the region of £150 million to build.

The Government is reviewing how taxpayers’ money is used to fund flood defences and has asked both partners to review this plan. In future, it is likely that a scheme of this scale will not be fully funded by Government. Other partners will need to be involved and those who benefit could be asked to contribute.

We are now looking again at flooding in Leeds to see if there are other, less costly, options. We may not be able to provide the same scale of defences as originally planned but we hope to provide a higher level of protection than the city has now.

At the same time, Leeds City Council is investigating other possible sources of funding. We’ll keep you updated when we know more.

Contacting us

If you have any queries please contact us on our dedicated Leeds Scheme email address or call 0113 231 2480.