Month: June 2018

Plans to construct flood walls at an industrial estate in Mytholmroyd to provide better protection for both businesses and residents have been approved by Calderdale Flood Recovery and Resilience Partnership Board.

They have given the go ahead for walled defences at Greenhill Industrial Estate as part of the £30m Mytholmroyd Flood Alleviation Scheme which will substantially increase the standard of protection for local businesses, including Vale Upholstery and the whole village.

Members of the board were updated at their meeting on 15th June about the investigations into a range of options for the Greenhill site including widening the channel and constructing different types of walls.
Approval was given to build concrete walls on both the right and left banks, install flood gates at each end of the bridge and remove security fencing which obstructs the flow of the river.

This option was recommended as providing the best standard of protection for the whole village, within the resources available and timescales of the current construction programme. However, it was also agreed by the board to continue to seek opportunities to carry out widening the channel at Greenhill Industrial Estate in the future, as well as other measures such as reservoir management and natural flood management.

The scheme, with walled defences at Greenhill Industrial Estate will provide a one in 50 year standard of protection (two percent chance of flooding occurring in any given year) for 400 homes and businesses in the village. This is a substantial increase from the current one in 5 years standard of protection (20 percent chance of flooding).

Helen Batt, Calder catchment director for the Environment Agency said:

We are committed to providing the best possible protection to the Mytholmroyd community as quickly as we can within the funds we have available.

The Greenhill industrial estate is an essential part of the flood defence scheme and we have developed our plans in consultation with local businesses at that site.

We will progress with the next phase of the Mytholmroyd Flood Alleviation Scheme without delay – but continue to explore funding opportunities for further ways to improve the protection for people living and working in the village and the rest of the Calder Valley from flooding in the future.

Cllr Tim Swift, Leader of Calderdale Council and Chair of the Calderdale Flood Recovery and Resilience Partnership Board said:

We are committed to protecting communities like Mytholmroyd to help them thrive so that people want to live, work, visit and invest there.

Given Mytholmroyd’s vulnerability to flooding and the damage caused by recent incidents, it was important to find a solution that would enable the works to continue in a timely way and provide a high standard of protection until further potential works can be progressed.

The approved option will ensure the best possible use of our resources, enabling us to continue to approach funding bodies without delaying this essential scheme and putting residents and businesses at unnecessary risk.

Plans for the Mytholmroyd flood defence scheme have been developed by the Environment Agency in partnership with Calderdale Council. It is expected to be completed Winter 2019 / 2020. Design and construction of the scheme is being carried out by main contractor VBA, a joint venture comprising VolkerStevin, Boskalis Westminster and SNC-Lavalin’s Atkins business.

Vital works to be completed as part of the scheme include construction of new, raised and improved flood walls, the relocation of Caldene Bridge, widening of the river channel at Caldene Bridge and on the right bank in front of St Michael’s Church and flood proofing of the buildings next to the river. Work will also be carried out to reduce flooding from the canal, culverts and Burnley Road.

The Environment Agency is investing £475m in Yorkshire to better protect 66,000 homes across the county as part of our current six year programme to 2021.

A ban on the sale of products containing microbeads has come into force today as part of the Government’s world-leading efforts to prevent these harmful pieces of plastic entering the marine environment.

From today, retailers across England and Scotland will no longer be able to sell rinse-off cosmetics and personal care products that contain microbeads – the tiny pieces of plastic often added to products such as face scrubs, soaps, toothpaste and shower gels.

Just one shower alone is thought to send 100,000 microbeads down the drain and into the ocean, causing serious harm to marine life. The Government’s ban – praised by campaigners as one of the toughest in the world – will now prevent billions of microbeads ending up in the ocean every year.

Environment Secretary, Michael Gove, said:

Microbeads might be tiny, but they are lethal to sea creatures and entirely unnecessary.

We have led the way in banning these toxic pieces of plastic, but this is by no means the end in our fight. We will now press ahead with our proposals for a deposit return scheme and ban other damaging plastic such as straws”.

Today’s announcement follows January’s ban on the manufacture of products containing microbeads.

It sits alongside the Government’s 5p plastic bag charge – which has taken nine billion bags out of circulation – and recent proposals for a deposit return scheme for plastic bottles and a ban on the sale of plastic straws, stirrers and plastic-stemmed cotton buds.

It also forms part of the 25 Year Environment Plan commitment to eliminate avoidable plastic waste and sits alongside the Treasury’s call for evidence on how changes to the tax system could be used to reduce single use plastics.

With the microbeads ban now in place, the Government is exploring how other microplastic sources enter our marine environment. Last month £200,000 was pledged by the Government for scientists at the University of Plymouth to explore how tiny plastic particles from tyres, synthetic materials like polyester, and fishing gear – such as nets, ropes and lines – enter our waterways and oceans.

The Government also launched the Commonwealth Clean Oceans Alliance earlier this year to help eliminate single use plastic and address marine plastic pollution across the Commonwealth. As part of this member states have pledged to take action on plastics, be this by a ban on microbeads or committing to eliminate avoidable plastic waste.

Dilyana Mihaylova, Marine Plastics Projects Manager at Fauna & Flora International, said:

We are absolutely delighted to see the final stage of the microbeads ban that Fauna & Flora International recommended two years ago coming into force today. The robust definition of microbeads used in this ban is world-leading and should finally put an end to the sale of rinse-off products containing microbeads in UK shops and online.

Obviously this is just the beginning in the fight against plastic pollution, but the government’s strong action on this specific issue has put a spotlight on the threat the oceans face. We hope the Government will apply the same ambition to dealing with other plastics that threaten our seas and ocean life, and meet their commitment to achieve cleaner and healthier oceans”.

Dr Sue Kinsey, Senior Pollution Policy Officer at the Marine Conservation Society, said:

We are delighted that this robust microbead ban has come into force. This is the strongest and most comprehensive ban to be enacted in the world so far and will help to stem the flow of microplastics into our oceans. We believe that this signals a real commitment on the part of this Government to clean up our seas and beaches and we look forward to seeing further actions to combat plastic waste”.