The Sankey Brook Flood Scheme in Warrington has received a critical financial injection of £1.1 million, securing the necessary funding to maintain momentum and complete its current outline design phase. This latest boost, championed by local MP Sarah Hall, builds upon £2.2 million secured earlier this year and is essential for advancing what is one of the region's most important flood defence projects, designed to protect the communities of Bewsey, Dallam, and Sankey Bridges from future flooding.
The scheme, a complex undertaking managed by the Environment Agency in partnership with Warrington Borough Council and United Utilities, aims to reduce flood risk from Sankey Brook, Dallam Brook, and Longford Brook. The area is highly vulnerable, with over 1,700 residential properties currently at risk during a 1-in-100 year event, and some areas experiencing flooding as frequently as once every 10 to 20 years. Flooding sources are complex, involving fluvial and surface water risk, with a tidal influence from the nearby River Mersey adding to the challenge.
The newly secured funding will allow engineers to continue the detailed technical assessments, hydraulic modelling, and site analysis that form the outline design phase, which is now expected to conclude in 2026. This foundational work is crucial, as it will pave the way for the detailed design stage, with construction currently programmed to begin in 2029 and conclude by 2032. Although the project has faced periods of public frustration due to its long gestation and technical complexity, the recent funding ensures that progress continues without delay.
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The long-term scheme is provisionally estimated to cost around £100 million. It will aim to provide a 1-in-200-year standard of protection, a target that will be carefully managed to account for the impacts of climate change. The proposed flood measures include a combination of new linear defences (walls and embankments), conveyance improvements, and a review of the existing Longford Barrage tidal asset. Importantly, the development of the scheme is also seeking to maximise environmental benefits, with opportunities for habitat creation and amenity improvements being considered throughout the design process.
The successful securing of this funding is viewed as a major step in bridging the significant affordability gap that still stands between the design phase and the start of construction, highlighting the persistent need for long-term national financial certainty to deliver such vital large-scale resilience projects.
[Main image credit: SevenMaps / shutterstock.com]