The latest works to protect homes and businesses from flooding have been completed at Ickles Lock in Rotherham. They form part of Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council’s Rotherham Renaissance Flood Alleviation Scheme (RRFAS) to reduce the impact of severe flooding from heavy rains, like those encountered in 2007 and 2019.
RRFAS will reduce the risk of flooding from the River Don and its tributaries along a 5 km-long stretch of the river, as it weaves through Templeborough, Rotherham Town Centre and Parkgate.
A 125-metre-long concrete wall built between the railway and canal from Ickles Lock to Centenary Way, Rotherham Town Centre, will now better protect businesses and the railway from floods. Rotherham Council and its partners have invested £7m to complete this latest phase of works
Cllr Dominic Beck, Cabinet Member for Transport and Environment said: “We’re dedicated to delivering flood alleviation projects and work with communities and businesses to develop flood resilience measures in the worst-affected areas. This flood wall will protect another part of our town from flooding and the awful impact it can have on peoples’ homes and businesses.
“This is just the latest step in a Council Flood Alleviation scheme that is making great strides to protect our town, as we’ll be carrying out further works at six more locations as part of the scheme. We’re also working hard as a Council to reduce the carbon emissions that are widely seen as a cause of global warming and some heavy rains.”
Flood defence works at nearby Forge Island, completed in 2020, are enabling the current regeneration of the site to go ahead unhindered. Around 400 businesses, railways, tram networks and main roads will be better protected by RRFAS when it’s complete. These include the A630, A633, A6123, Rotherham Central Station and Parkgate Station.
A colourful mural that pays homage to the town’s cultural and industrial heritage was officially unveiled at Ickles Lock this afternoon, where Cllr Chris Read (Leader) and Cllr Dominic Beck, Cabinet Member for Transport and Environment, were joined by The Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Jim McMahon MP; Council staff and partner agencies.
Darren Blank, Project Manager at Jackson Civil Engineering said: “’The project has been a massive challenge in both pre-construction and delivery. We have been working on the scheme for over three years so this really is the culmination of huge stakeholder engagement and collaboration and excellence from the site team and our supply chain. The final product is testament to all of this and I am proud to have been a part of it.’’
Artists Anthony Donnelly of Urban Canvas and Phil Padfield of AFFIX Art painted the flood wall and switch back cycle ramp next to Ickles Lock. The designs strike a balance between nature and offer a fitting nod to the past and Rotherham’s industrial heritage, while helping to communicate the ambition and pride of the town and its people. The colours and textures used also provide harmony to the design.
Header image: Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Jim McMahon MP joined Rotherham Councillors at the launch.
