PLANS for the next step of a major flood alleviation scheme will go before Leeds city councillors for final approval next week.

This part of the scheme, for the section running between Apperley Bridge and Kirkstall, is set to include a flood storage reservoir, walls, sheet piling, earth bunds and scour protection.

The work is a long term project, which follows severe flooding along the River Aire following Boxing Day 2015. Phase one of the scheme, which stretches from Leeds City Centre to Woodlesford, was finished in 2017.

Phase two of the scheme is split into two “steps”. Step one – which runs from Newlay Bridge to Leeds City Centre – was approved in June 2019. The latest part of the scheme is for the Apperley Bridge-to-Kirkstall section, known as Step two.

Proposals include a flood storage reservoir in rural land between Calverley, Horsforth and Rawdon. The site would also include banking and the “realignment of the River Aire”.

A series of reinforced concrete and steel sheet pile walls will be installed in areas around the Apperley Bridge end of the scheme, to mitigate the flood risk caused by the work.

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The report by Leeds City Council officers claims contractors are currently on site working on step one, which is expected to be completed early in 2023. It is hoped this work would provide a “one in 100 year” cover, meaning there would one percent chance of flooding along the river in a given year.

Work on step two is hoped to provide a “one in 200 year” cover, meaning there would be a 0.5 percent chance of flooding in a given year.

The report concluded: “It is considered that the proposals represent a further important milestone in the delivery of a strategically important key part of the Core Strategy and City’s ongoing commitment to developing the wider Leeds Flood Alleviation Scheme.”

The report recommends planning committee members accept the scheme in principle and delegate the final details to planning officers.