Rotherham Council and partners officially opened the new, state-of-the-art canal barrier at Forge Island at an opening ceremony on 7th November 2022.
The barrier has added a new feature to the Rotherham skyline alongside the historic Rotherham canal, lock and towpath. The barrier is a single phase of the Rotherham Renaissance Flood Alleviation Scheme, which will reduce the risk of flooding to the town centre, businesses and Rotherham Central railway station.
Construction work began on the barrier in August 2021 and was completed in August 2022.
The barrier and associated works in this phase cost £4.45m and was funded by funding from the Levelling Up Fund, South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority, European Regional Development Fund, Yorkshire Regional Flood and Coastal Committee Local Levy, and Network Rail.
The construction of the barrier required around 50 tonnes of steel reinforcements and 1,000 tonnes of concrete. This included 450 tonnes of low carbon cement free concrete, which resulted in a saving of 44 tonnes of embedded Carbon Dioxide (CO2) compared to traditional cement concrete and supported the Council’s commitment to a cleaner, greener local environment, targeting the reduction of carbon emissions.
Rotherham Council’s Cabinet Member for Transport and Environment, Cllr Dominic Beck, said: “The new canal barrier at the Rotherham Lock is a fantastic focal point of the flood alleviation works and showcases all of the hard work done by our Flood Risk Team and partners during the project. The canal barrier has already become an iconic part of the Rotherham town centre skyline, and will provide reassurance and protection for countless residents who live and work alongside the River Don.
“The canal barrier is a great example of what the Council and its partners are doing to prepare and act so that reduce risk to damage and to life from flooding in Rotherham.”
The canal barrier is part of the Rotherham Renaissance Flood Alleviation Scheme (RRFAS) — a project that will construct new flood defences along a 5km stretch of the River Don through the Templeborough, town centre and Parkgate areas of Rotherham. The project also includes a section of flood defences in Kilnhurst.
Darren Blank, Project Manager at Jackson Civil Engineering, said: “The project has been highly challenging whilst proving rewarding in all aspects of Civil Engineering and teamwork. It has highlighted the importance of early collaboration and relationships throughout the scheme stakeholders. We as the Principal Contractor have tried to place these principals at the forefront whilst relying on the skills and expertise of our site teams to deliver a high standard of delivery.
“We are immensely proud of the final product and the innovations and sustainable solutions we found along the way. We look forward to continuing to deliver flood resilience projects in Rotherham in the future, thereby protecting the residents and businesses as we move into a changing climatic period.”
Mark Duquemin, Head of Environmental Management & Sustainability for Pell Frischmann, commented: “We are very pleased to see the canal barrier come to life, ready to protect the people and communities of Rotherham from flooding. It’s been rewarding working on the design and supporting the construction of this iconic structure with our design partners KGAL, providing mechanical & electrical services for the flood gate, and Ecus, providing landscape architecture services.”
The Forge Island leisure development is the flagship scheme for Rotherham town centre’s regeneration projects which will be set within an attractive public square with a new pedestrian bridge connecting the scheme to the wider town centre.
Further information about the ongoing regeneration works is available on the Rotherham town centre website at www.rotherhamtowncentre.co.uk
A video showing the low carbon concrete pour produced by Jackson Civil Engineering:
You can watch a video showing the installation of the canal barrier here:
The Environment Agency’s Flood Action Campaign ‘Prepare. Act. Survive.’ launched with flood action week, which ran from Monday 7th to Sunday 13th November 2022.
Amid increased extreme weather events brought on by the climate emergency, the Environment Agency wants to encourage those who live in areas at risk of flooding to act now to protect their home, possessions and family. Taking steps to prepare and knowing what to do in a flood can significantly reduce the damages to a home and possessions, reduce risk to life and reduce the likelihood of suffering from mental health impacts in the future.
The campaign continues until the end of March, helping people in flood risk areas to know what to do in a flood and encouraging them to download our ‘Prepare. Act. Survive.’ flood plan to help reduce the impact of flooding.
Header image: Paul Woodcock, Strategic Director of Regeneration and Environment; Sam Barstow, Assistant Director of Community Safety and Street Scene; Cllr Dominic Beck, Cabinet Member for Transport and Environment; and Cllr Chris Read, Leader of Rotherham Council
