£1 million extra funding to protect Whitby homes from flooding

Scarborough Council is carrying out the £2.3 million plan to protect a historic area of Whitby from flood damage but had originally set a much lower budget.

As part of the work, a 1.2-metre high wall is to built along the town’s Church Street in order to safeguard a large number of listed homes and buildings from devasting tidal surges.

The plan was announced in 2015 following the surge of December 2013, which plunged Whitby into darkness and saw scores of properties and homes left flooded.

The strength of the surge also carried away cars from the Church Street car park and the clean-up bill ran into the hundreds of thousands of pounds.

The cost of the scheme was priced at just under £1 million, however, a report that went before the council’s cabinet yesterday (Tuesday) said the cost had now doubled and the York, North Yorkshire and East Riding Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) had agreed to pick up the bill.

The report noted: “Following detailed design works, it has become apparent that further works are required to maximise the benefit of the scheme and a revised budget of £2,094,000 is now required.

“The LEP has agreed to fund these additional costs (£1,100,000) together with North Yorkshire County Council (£15,000).”

The reasons for the increase in costs are down to the procurement of floodgates, works in Church Street car park and additional design elements.

There has also been some inflation since the budget for the plan was set in 2014.

A final report of the scheme will be presented to the council’s cabinet in December.