Homes in flood-risk areas of Calderdale are set to benefit from tailored advice to improve flood resilience, as part of a West Yorkshire-wide project.
Calderdale Council is supporting the West Yorkshire Flood Innovation Programme project, focused on property flood resilience measures. As part of the project, 250 properties across the region have been selected for flood surveys which will identify what more can be done to help both residential and business properties become more resilient to flooding.
This project is being led by Bradford Council, which is working with JBA Consulting and successfully bid for £187,000 from Yorkshire Regional Flood and Coastal Committee to help protect more homes throughout West Yorkshire.
Surveys are being carried out across West Yorkshire, with a specific focus on properties in each authority area that have previously flooded or where an assessment of the condition and suitability of existing property flood resilience measures is necessary.
There are many different reasons why an area might flood but communities in Calderdale are especially vulnerable to floods from many sources including river flooding, groundwater, surface water, interactions with sewers, canal flooding and run off from the steep hillsides.
Properties in flood-risk areas in Calderdale have been identified to take part in the project, with homeowners initially asked to complete a questionnaire with details of their property and the nature and frequency of flooding that has been experienced, plus any current flood resilience measures they have installed.
Surveyors will then visit the property to identify, measure and photograph any potential ways that water could enter the building and how this could be prevented through flood resilience measures such as flood doors and barriers, airbricks, and pumps.
The results of the survey will be shared with homeowners and will also feed into a regional database to improve the understanding of the types of flood resilience measures that are in use across the region.
The surveys are taking place at different property types which have experienced different types of flooding. This will give a wider range of data and help to identify the types of measures that could potentially be needed in an area, boosting future resilience to flood events.
Calderdale Council’s Cabinet Member for Climate Action, Active Travel and Housing, Cllr Scott Patient, said:
“We know that we can’t completely remove the risk of flooding, but flood resilience measures can help to reduce its impact– something which is increasingly important as climate change makes severe weather events more likely.
“We’re happy to support this West Yorkshire-wide project and pleased that research is taking place at properties in Calderdale. Our unique landscape including steep sided valleys and river communities make the borough particularly vulnerable to flooding and this research will help inform the development of proactive solutions to help live with the risk of flooding.”
Residents and businesses are advised to check their flood risk and sign up for Met Office weather warnings(external link), register for flood warnings(external link) and have their own flood plan(external link) which is up to date.
To find out more about how to make a property more flood resilient, visit Eye on Calderdale(external link).
For regular updates about Climate Action in Calderdale, sign up to the Zero Carbon Calderdale e-newsletter at https://mailchi.mp/calderdale/zerocarbon(external link)
The West Yorkshire Flood Innovation Programme (WYFLIP) is a partnership between the five West Yorkshire local authorities, the West Yorkshire Combined Authority and the Environment Agency, with support from local stakeholders including academic partners, community-based groups, third sector organisations and Yorkshire Water. It aims to make the region more resilient to flooding and climate change. Find out more at https://icasp.org.uk/projects-2-2/west-yorkshire-flood-innovation-programme-flip/(external link)
For more information about WYFLIP you can read their spring bulletin https://bit.ly/44m0y9l(external link) or sign up to receive news signing up now https://bit.ly/3PyzRqN(external link)
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