Burton Flood Risk Management Scheme Information

Overview

Updated 15 october 2019- next update due 10 January 2020

Background

Burton is entwined with the River Trent, its history is fundamentally linked to the river and its growth has depended on it.

Before the defences were built flood events regularly impacted on Burton.

Approximately 9km of defences; walls, embankments and high ground, first built as a result of the 1932 floods, currently protect Burton. Without these defences the town would regularly experience flooding.

In 2000, when the water level was at its highest since 1947, the defences stood firm. The photo below, courtesy of Burton Mail, shows how the water reached up to the flood defences.

However these defences are old and need updating and improving to protect the town.

We last improved parts of the defences in 2005-07, known as ‘Phase 1’ of the current programme of works.

We are now in phase 2, upgrading the rest of the defences, not tackled in 2005-07, and tying into phase 1, so that Burton has a single set of defences at the same level. The current work planned amount to about 3.7km of defence work.

The figure below shows red lines on the locations where we will be improving the defences over the coming years.

Our objectives for the Burton Flood Risk Management project are :

• To improve flood defences for over 4,500 homes and 1000 businesses
• To provide additional environmental improvements- work with partners, such as East Staffordshire Borough Council, to help achieve more than just flood defences
• Engage with the town and it’s communities to educate them about the flood risk and the defences - highlighting that the river is at the heart of this community

What we are doing

We are improving the quality of the defences currently already protecting Burton from river flooding.

Part of the current defences are at the end of their life span. If we didn’t improve the defences they may ‘breach’ and cause parts of Burton to flood.

The photo below show erosion to the current embankment at Regatta Lane Allotments, caused by high foot fall.

The scheme will provide Burton with a better level of protection from the River Trent.

The main aim of this scheme is to improve the quality by using better material, such as sheet piling (driving metal plates into the ground) where required or replacing the current embankment with a clay core embankment. The method of construction is dependent on what is currently in place and what space we have to work with.

More detail on what we are doing in your area can be requested by contacting the Public Liaison officer- details provided on the top right hand side of this page.

Project funding

Costs are currently approximately £30 million and the scheme is funded mainly by flood defence grant in aid with some Local Levy funding support.

Timescales

We have now started construction. This was celebrated with a ground breaking event in June 2019

Construction is in full flow behind Blackpool Street. In this location we are improving the structural integrity of the flood defences by sheet piling and re-profiling the embankments in between the Leicester Line Railway Bridge and Tesco.

Over the summer we started work between the Riverside Hotel and Branston Golf and Country Club. We have now also started behind Regatta Lane Allotments.

A teporary footpath is now in place by the Library and Leisure Centre, and will remain in place for about 12 months.

We have a main compound on Wetmore Road, which will remain there throughout the construction period.  

The table below shows when we are working on the different locations in more detail

This programme is subject to change and will be updated frequently.

Engaging with communities

We have been engaging with residents along the flood embankment since late 2017 to make them aware of the planned work ad to ensure that they can feed in any comments and concerns.

We continue to engae with residents, in particular as and when we start construction near their homes.

We will post information about further drop in sessions on this website and inform all people who have signed up to our email database. we also leaflet the people most directly affectedby the work ahead of key stages of construction.

You can sign up to our database by contacting the Public Liaison Officer on the details on the top right hand side of this page. We will leaflet the area most directly affected by the work at that stage of construction ahead of drop in events.  

Environmental improvements -Washlands Strategy

We have supported East Staffs Borough Council (ESBC) with their landscape vision and the Washlands Strategy. We helped them secure funding from Greater Birmingham Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), whih includes funding to improve the environment and aeninties around the library and leisure centre.

More details on what improvement work will netail will be available through ESBC in coming months.

More information about the vision can be found on: www.eaststaffsbc.gov.uk/washlands-project 

Footpath closures during work

Unfortunately footpath closures will have to take place during the works. This is mainly for health and safety purposes.

We will do our best to reduce disruption by notifying local residents in advance and suggesting suitable alternative routes, as per below;

From June 2019 to winter 2020 the footpath behind Blackpool Street between Watchman’s cottage and St Matthew Street will be closed to the public whilst we are carrying out the work. An alternative route on this stretch will be through Blackpool Street and Burton Road..

The footpath between Lansdowne Road and the golf course will be closed for approximately 6 months to 1 year from July 2019. The footpath will be re-opened and much improved after completion of the work. There will be no diversion, but we suggest using Burton Road as an alternative route.

The footpath between the cricket club and the allotments will also be closed for the duration of the work, estimated to be from Autumn 2019 to Autumn 2020. There will be an improved path on top of the defence to allow access between the cricket club and the allotments once the work is completed.

Work by Burton Library and the Leisure Centre has now started and is likely to ccontinue until late 2020. The footpath between the current flood defence and the Washlands is now closed. A temporary diversion is in place, which provides safe assage acorss the Washlands, aoiding the immidiate working area. The library car park will also be closed from late October 2019 until late 2020. 

 In Spring/ Summer 2020 we anticipate to work on the flood defence by Electric Street. We anticipate access to playing field to be through the already available alternative entrance off Wetmore Lane during construction.

The informal footpath by the side of Riverside Mobile Home Park will need to be closed from spring 2020 to winter 2020.

Please keep visiting our information page as we will be updating it every two to three months. Our next update is due 10 January 2020. This page will be open to the public until the end of construction in 2021.

Thank you for visiting our project information page.