Filey Flood Alleviation Scheme set to be approved by Scarborough Council

The Filey Flood Alleviation Scheme will go before the borough council’s planning committee on Thursday (6th) and is proposing a series of embankments and bunds which would divert flood water away from built-up areas of the town.

The scheme was proposed following major floods in 2002 and 2007, though it has run into delays which have stopped it from getting off the ground before now.

Planning permission was originally granted in 2016 but expired after changes needed to be made to the proposals, which have now been agreed with the Environment Agency.

A report, which will go before the councillors and recommends approval, states that it is proposed to construct four separate sections of clay embankment with a total combined length of 1.5 km and up to 1.5 metres high.

A further 1.7km of drainage channels will be excavated in five areas and water storage areas will be created.

A flood defence wall will also be built around 104 Muston Road, which is directly north of Filey School.

The council’s planning manager David Walker, who wrote the report, concluded: “The proposed scheme manages the risk of surface water flooding by attenuating flows and releasing water at a controlled rate in order to allow the drainage system to function effectively and to reduce the surface water run-off into built-up areas.

“These works are considered to be essential to reduce incidences of surface water flooding in Filey and the devastating consequences of such events for the community, particularly for the individuals whose properties are directly affected.”

He adds that the scheme, a collaboration between Scarborough Council, North Yorkshire County Council, the Environment Agency, Filey Town Council and local landowners, will protect the town from a “1 in 100-year flood event” with additional allowances for climate change and unpredictability.

The Filey floods of 2007 saw hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of damages caused to homes and property in the town after several inches of rain fell in just a few short hours.

Filey inshore lifeboat had to be used to rescue eight adults trapped at the school’s swimming pool at Filey School and another eight people who were stuck in their homes.