Noise disruption for city centre residents as £45m flood scheme gets under way

The Leeds Floods Alleviation Scheme has reached a new phase of work this week, as a new state-of-the-art moveable weir is installed at Crown Point to control the level and flow of the River Aire.

The work, which aims to protect Leeds city centre from a repeat of the devastating flooding at Christmas, will lead to noise and vibrations that could affect local residents and businesses.

Councillor Richard Lewis, Leeds City Council’s executive member for regeneration, transport and planning, said: “The Leeds Flood Alleviation Scheme is a key development need for the city as was unfortunately shown at Christmas.

“This next phase of the project involves working closer to properties at Crown Point, so there will be some noise and vibration experienced although every effort is being made to keep the impact to a minimum.

“We would ask for everyone’s patience and understanding while the work is carried out as this vital development needs to be done.”

The noisiest parts of the ‘piling work’ will take place between 9am and 5pm on weekdays and is expected to last for up to 15 minutes, taking place around six times a day.

None of the work will take place at weekends.

The phase of work is expected to be completed in September.

The Leeds Flood Alleviation Scheme began in Woodlesford in 2014 and has also included the improvement of defences near Leeds City Station.

When finished, the risk of flooding to over 3,000 homes and 500 businesses in the city centre will be reduced.

The full project is due to be completed in May 2017.

For more information, or to watch an aerial video of the scheme so far, visit www.leeds.gov.uk/fas.