Hebden Bridge Flooding
and Flood Alleviation
From Mike Goddard-Shillabeer
Tuesday, 6 May 2025
Following some quick research on flooding 1900-2025, the significant events are highlighted below. It appears there were only three flood events between 1900-1950 but eleven after that date with seven of the events occurring in the past 30 years.
Some aspects of the Flood Alleviation Scheme (FAS) appear attractive but there are places when it would change the nature of the town and maybe not for the better. Hebden has to retain its core character, some of that could be lost by the scheme. They're aiming to appease the environmentalists by stressing increased biodiversity and tree planting as well as the protection of bats. The bats only need protecting because of the scheme. In terms of resilience for the 400 properties it suggests it will protect, tit will cost the equivalent of £225,000 per property assuming the scheme costs £90M. Is this the best way to spend the money? Also, it won't alleviate problems caused by flash flooding.
The proposal says that Hebden Bridge currently has a 20% risk of flooding per annum, this appears accurate if you look at floods evens 7-13 below. It says the the risk following the scheme would be 2% but at no point do they specify river heights i.e, the height of any anticipated floods or the height of the river the protection would afford. It also says it wouldn't fully protect us from a flood like 2015. It's possible that those flood levels may occur more regularly in the future which means we would still be flooded. With water you're only as safe as your weakest point.
The proposals suggest it will benefit the town economically but that sounds like a bit of a leap of faith. At present the town just needs to stop losing business to floods as well as the cost of clearing them up.
There is also no joined up thinking regarding the wind turbine plant at Walshaw. If that project goes ahead the valley could be at greater risk of flooding as a result.
The people in the shop on Valley Road say that full consultation has already been undertaken. Do you feel consulted, have businesses been approached, do two meetings in the town hall constitute effective public consultation?
The scheme needs careful consideration and probably some amendment. If you look at the data below, something has to be done but we don't want to lose the character of the town in the process.
Some key questions:
Do we believe that flood events are likely to be more frequent and more severe in the future?
Do we believe that £90m (unconfirmed amount) is best spent in the proposed fashion or should we spend the money on protecting the 400 properties that are affected?
How much disruption can the town cope with for the Flood Alleviation Scheme to be implemented?
Floods 1900 - 2020
- 1916 Flood: Significant flooding caused by heavy rainfall, leading to extensive damage
- 1930 Flood: Significant flooding occurred, causing extensive damage to properties and infrastructure. 1
- 947 Flood: Major flood event resulting from a combination of snowmelt and heavy rain.
- 1965 Flood: Heavy rainfall led to severe flooding, impacting local businesses and homes.
- 1970 Flood: Another major flood event, resulting in considerable disruption and recovery efforts.
- 1980 Flood: Another notable flood event that caused disruption and damage.
- 1996 Flood: A notable flood that prompted improvements in flood defenses in the area.
- 2000 Flood: Severe flooding affected many residents, leading to emergency responses and community support.
- 2008 Flood: One of the most devastating floods, resulting in widespread damage and prompting a major recovery initiative.
- 2012 Flood: Heavy rainfall caused localized flooding, affecting transport and local services.
- 2015 Flood: Significant flooding again struck Hebden Bridge, leading to community mobilization for recovery.
- 2019 Flood: Another flood event that tested the resilience of the town's flood defenses.
- 2020 Flooding: Continued concerns over flooding due to climate change, with ongoing discussions about prevention and preparedness.
What this list doesn't do is to say how severe the flood was and how long it lasted. The threshold for a food event is when the river reaches !.600 metres.There are some other records locally that show some of these figures for flood events since 1996.
Some notable; examples:
- 1996 The river reached 2.022m and was in flood for 26 hours.
- 2000 The river reached 3.036m and was in flood for 10 hours
- 2012 The river reached 3.327m and was in flood for 14 hours
- 2015 The river reached 3.628m and was in flood for 28 hours
This is just a sample of the records since 1996 but it does indicate the events have been more severe in recent years. One interesting point is that in 2012 there were two significant floods but only one iOS shown pn the records as the data only covers the river in flood. The second flood on 2012 was a flash flood with the water coming down the hills.
2015 was a record height for the river (from the records we have) .
There is no judgement in the content of this piece but we do need some genuine dialogue for people in the local community to feel that the FAS provides the right level of protection, the town retains its beauty and character and people are still able to go about their business whilst the work goes ahead. No judgement here but we will need to make judgements about this scheme very soon as the planning application is due and funding will be sought to make whatever is decided happen.
Mike Goddard-Shillabeer