Bad weather has slowed progress on a £17m project set to strengthen flood defences on Dutch River near Goole which will help protect around 10,000 properties.
The major maintenance project on the northern (left) bank of the Dutch River, part of the River Don, is being delivered by the Environment Agency. Work began on site at the start of October, focusing on the downstream area at the end of the Dutch Riverside, near Goole Marina. Alongside this, the main compound area at Rawcliffe Bridge, which will be used during the wider work planned for 2026, has been levelled ready for office cabins and welfare facilities to be installed.
On site near Goole Marina, fencing and accommodation for the early construction work was installed quickly over the first two weeks of October, with the end of the public footpath that links the Dutch Riverside to the Aire and Calder Navigation towpath re-routed through the wooded area next to the Breedon Concrete plant, following the line of yellow arrows in the image below. But progress on the embankment work has been steady since October, and slower than hoped because of the inclement weather experienced since late Autumn. With the wet weather, extra efforts have been made to keep the site and access areas clean, and the footpath through the wooded area has had wood chipping spread along it to keep things cleaner and safer under foot. Shortly before the Christmas, the site closed for the winter period but, for safety reasons, the site fencing was left in place.
Contractors returned to site this week to complete some further tree removal work. The main work will resume as soon as conditions on site are favourable enough for them to successfully complete the required earthworks. The scheme is funded by the Environment Agency alongside its partner, the Goole Town Deal Board, which has allocated a share of £25 million in funding awarded to the town by the Government to drive economic regeneration. It came about after the Environment Agency found maintenance work was needed to renovate and repair flood defences along the left, or north, bank of the Dutch River, from the River Went outfall to its confluence with the River Ouse. The work involves topping up of low spots, crest widening and stabilisation and reinforcement of the slope at various locations along the length of the existing embankments. In addition to the flood defence improvement work, the enhancement of the existing Greenway footpath and cycleway, which runs for almost five kilometres between Rawcliffe Bridge and Goole Docks, has been incorporated into the design of the scheme. Once complete, the scheme will help protect approximately 10,000 properties in Goole and the surrounding villages and is expected to deliver £190m in economic benefits while also helping to create the conditions for further investment and development in the local area.
(15-1-110 SU)
