A joint venture between BAM Nuttall and Mott MacDonald, set up to deliver coastal and fluvial works under the Water and Environment Management (WEM) framework, has been awarded a contract valued at £23 million by Leeds City Council, which it procured using the Environment Agency’s WEM Framework procurement facility. The aim of the scheme is to provide 1 in 75 year flood protection for the city of Leeds with works extending for 4.3km from the city mainline railway station to just below Knostrop weir.
This scheme will see the replacement of the existing fixed weirs at Crown Point and Knostrop with moveable weirs that can be lowered in flood conditions to reduce river levels and the threat of river flooding. This is the first time that these moveable weirs will have been installed in the UK.
An island at Knostrop Cut which separates the river from the canal will also be removed to allow the river and canal to merge. This will assist the flow of water in flood conditions. Linear flood defences in the form of walls and hard landscaping in the city centre will also be constructed.
On completion this scheme will provide the city centre, over 3,000 homes and 500 businesses with protection against a one in 75 year flood event from the River Aire and Hol Beck.
The project will take 125 weeks with a completion date of March 2017.