Friday, 17 October 2025
Town Council votes to support Flood Alleviation Plans
At the Terrace Room at the Town Hall were local flood wardens - there to support the application, Calderdale Councillors, a number of interested residents and 2 business owners.
Four representatives from the Environment Agency were in attendance. They presented the planning item and addressed some of the misinformation that has been spread across social media as well as genuine concerns. They addressed issues about the park, business compensation, duration of works and the minimal impact to the main highway (unlike the Mytholmroyd Scheme).
They also responded to questions about surface water drainage, measuring footfall as a baseline for business impact and the huge amount of consultation already delivered, heritage issues and also spoke of how they intend to move forward.
It was reiterated how the scheme will better protect the town and 400 properties, that it will limit impact and buy valuable extra time for homes, businesses and emergency services to be prepared in the event of another 2015 flood.
Calderdale Councillor for the Calder Ward "Israr Ahmed" asked the EA to increase their door to door presence in the town to give factual information to residents and business owners and also raised concern about surety of funding for the scheme, with concerns that if it wasn't passed the funding could be lost.
Councillors who had experienced flooding themselves, including Caldene ward Cllr Bampton-Smith and White Lee Cllr Steve Woodhead spoke of the need to work collaboratively with the Environment Agency and the council and how their experience of compensation was positive and how community spirit during the Mytholmroyd FAS had been exemplary.
Lead flood warden Andrew Entwhistle also stated that the town currently has countless near misses. The enhanced protection the scheme will deliver will mean that these near misses won't cause the level of alarm they now do.
It was a named vote.
No objection - Cllrs, Woodhead, Guilfoyle, Bampton Smith, Butterick, Hoyle, Hedges
Object - Cllrs Borrows, Boden.
Links
Plans submitted for £81m flood defences (Sept 25)
Have your say on the Calderdale Planning web page
Have your say on the HebWeb Discussion Forum
Myth busting points from Eye on Calderdale
Hebden Bridge Flood Prevention Plans - HebWeb, March 2025
The February 2020 flood, HebWeb
HebWeb Feature on the 2015 Boxing Day Flood
July 2012 Flood, as it happened, HebWeb
The 2012 June Floods, HebWeb