Colwyn Road Flood Alleviation Scheme

Overview

Introduction

The Burn Valley Beck drains agricultural land to the West of Hartlepool, before flowing Northeast through the residential areas of West Park, passing through a series of trash screens and culverts. The Beck them turns East to flow through Burn Valley Gardens, and a series of trash screens, before discharging into the combined sewer system.

Map of the Burn Valley Beck from West Park to Stranton

Reviewing the approach to flood risk

The Environment Agency, with support from Hartlepool Borough Council and Northumbrian Water, is currently reviewing the approach to flood risk management for the Stranton area. This review will lead to the development and assessment of opportunities to increase the level of community flood resilience to climate change. We will also look for opportunities to enhance the ecological quality of the environment from the Burn Valley Beck to Hartlepool Bay, by exploring options which reduce the number of overspills from the combined sewer into the Beck and Hartlepool Bay.

An early-stage proposal, which is being reviewed, includes a combination of two measures. This proposal aims to separate the Burn Valley Beck from discharging into the sewer network by culverting the Beck out to sea. We expect this proposal will reduce fluvial, surface water and sewer flood risk to the Stranton area.

The second measure includes improvements to the screens to reduce risk of blockage at the inlet. It is envisaged that these measures will reduce the frequency of spills from the combined sewer to Hartlepool Bay. As mentioned, the project is still in its early stages, with all measures being considered, considering the environmental impact, level of risk reduction, deliverability, and cost.

Timescales

The project is in the early stages of its development. We will continue to work hard to determine if there are any measures that we can deliver for the community and businesses, to reduce flood risk and to improve the environment. We will engage with the wider community through this process, to ensure local knowledge and information is gathered to inform our understanding of risk and to shape any potential measures to mitigate the flood risk.

Flood Resilience

To check your long term flood risk please go to the following website: https://www.gov.uk/check-long-term-flood-risk

To keep informed of future flooding events, you can sign up to the free Flood Warning Service on the following Government website and choose how you receive alerts: https://www.gov.uk/sign-up-for-flood-warnings

Alternatively, you can register, update your details, or cancel your account via telephone by calling Flood Line. Call charges may apply.

Flood Line:
Telephone: 0345 988 1188
Textphone: 0345 602 6340