Tadcaster Community Update

Published: 10 May 2021

It will briefly cover the reasons behind the delay and the changes to the timescale of the project.

Delay
As you may already be aware, there has been a delay to the proposed Tadcaster Flood Alleviation Scheme and this has caused significant changes to the project timeline and estimated delivery date of the scheme.

The Issue
A recent review has highlighted inaccuracies within the existing hydrological model that is being used as the basis for developing the flood defence scheme in Tadcaster. In order to develop an appropriate scheme for Tadcaster, an accurate model representing the flood risk situation and hydrological conditions of the River Wharfe at Tadcaster and local area is essential.

The model provides the basis of information for which the scheme is designed on and helps to ensure the height of any proposed defences and volumes of any storage components of the solution are correct. Were the identified issues not addressed it could result in the scheme not delivering the intended Standard of Protection to the town.

The Outcome
We want to provide the community with the most effective scheme that we can. Therefore, it is paramount that the inaccuracies within the existing model are addressed and the model is as accurate as it can be before we use it to review the options for the scheme.

The process of updating the existing model will take a certain amount of time and we expect that this delay will set back the construction start date of the scheme until 2024. We know that this delay will cause concern and frustration among the community, however, it is important we take the time to address the issues identified with the model to ensure that ultimately the most appropriate scheme is delivered for the town.

In the meantime we aim to answer any queries you may have, so please send us an email to: tadcasterfas@environment-agency.gov.uk and please follow us and sign up to our updates through the above email address and the Tadcaster FAS Facebook page.