Council set to give green light for £6.2m government-funded project to tackle flooding in Northampton

A £6.2 million government-funded project to tackle flooding in one of Northampton's most affected areas is set to get the green light today (Tuesday, September 14).

West Northamptonshire Council' s cabinet will be asked to approve use of the Environment Agency funds to reduce the risk of flooding in the the area around Wootton Brook.

The aim of the project is to engage with landowners and people living in the affected areas to implement a series of measures and assess their effectiveness.

Cabinet member for environment, transport, highways and waste Phil Larratt said: “This is an amazing opportunity for us to tackle increasing issues we’ve seen with flooding during the past 10 years.

“Climate change is increasing the likelihood of flood events and we need to do something to help people and businesses protect themselves from it.

“This project will help devise solutions for the areas we’re focusing on and the results will help assess the effectiveness of measures we might consider for other locations.”

Northamptonshire County Council originally bid for funding through the £200 million Flood and Coastal Resilience Innovation Project for Wootton Brook and Harpers Brook.

Of 358 reports of flooding across the two areas since detailed records started in 2012, 237 were for the Wootton Brook area, which includes Collingtree, Wootton, East and West Hunsbury, Hunsbury Meadows and Hackleton.

West Northamptonshire Council is set to manage the project in both areas, on behalf of North Northamptonshire Council.

Work has already started to secure approval for the studies and baseline work need to inform the business case, which is required to confirm the full grant amount.