Issue - meetings

This report provides an update regarding progress on the York Five Year Flood Plan since the last update, on 2 September 2019, including details of work carried out by the Environment Agency.

Resolved:  That the updated report, and the additional information provided at the session by the Environment Agency (EA) and council officers, be noted.

Reason:     To confirm that the Executive Member is aware of the current position regarding progress on the 5 Year Flood Plan.

The Executive Member considered a report that provided an update regarding the progress on the York Five Year Flood Plan since the last update, on 2 September 2019, including details of the work carried out by the Environment Agency.

The Flood Risk Manager was in attendance to provide an update and he confirmed that City of York Council had been awarded funding from the Environment Agency to lead and develop a property flood resilience pathfinder project across all Local Authorities in Yorkshire. The Executive Member noted that further progress updates would be provided at future Decision Sessions.

An officer from the Environment Agency was in attendance to give a further update on activities and within individual flood cells, where it was noted that:

·        The flood wall on Leeman Road, along the front of Memorial Gardens, was now complete.

·        The flood wall along North Street was now complete and the flood gates were being installed.

·        The installation of two new specially designed flood gates under Lendal Bridge had been delayed and would now be fitted in September 2020.

·        Work was due to restart at St Peters School in the spring.

·        Clifton Ings Barrier Bank planning application was approved at the September 2019 Planning Committee and work would now begin in June 2020, potentially pushing the two year timescale into a third year. An advisory group had also been setup to better engage with the community.  The Executive Member informed officers that St Nicks had significant experience within this area.

·        A revised planning application for Clementhorpe was being produced and should be considered at Planning Committee in March 2020. The timeframe to complete the works should not be affected by the delay. The Executive Member confirmed she was visiting Rowntree Park with the Transport Policy Manager to explore the pedestrian access.

·        Properties in New Walk had nearly all been visited by a Property Flood Resilience contractor and contact was still being made with those residents who had concerns. Officers confirmed they would be working with the suppliers to ensure the correct solutions were provided to each property. 

·        The plans for the Foss Storage Area had been submitted to both City of York Council and Ryedale District Council. 

·        The flood risk at South Beck had been removed from the programme due to there being no viable option and no history of flooding.

·        The properties that were at very significant risk in Naburn would be offered support and property resilience.

Council officers expanded on the information provided in Annex 2 and during these updates, and in response to questions and concerns raised by the Executive Member, it was agreed that:

·        The delays to the various timescales required further investigation, to ensure the programmes of work were delivered more resiliently.

·        Communication with ward councillors, friends groups and residents required more consideration to ensure the engagements were better understood.

·        CYC officers, the Environment Agency and the Stainability Director from Yorkshire Water should work collaboratively when considering a tree strategy. 

The Executive Member noted that officers were  ...  view the full minutes text for item 21