Leeds City Council has announced that strengthening works on Apperley Lane bridge will be completed tomorrow before the next phase of the work in the area begins.

This phase will link the drainage network to a new surface water pumping station in the car park of a local pub. In order for engineers to complete this task, Apperley Road will be closed between Apperley Lane bridge and Harrogate Road bridge for six months, 23 August to sometime in February next year.

The LFAS2 scheme is made up of a combination of catchment-wide natural flood management, as well as traditional engineering that stretches for 14km along the River Aire between Leeds Train Station and Apperley Bridge.

One aspect of the scheme is the construction of a large flood storage area near Calverley, making use of an existing flood plain, which may lead to an increased risk of flooding at Apperley Bridge. This has required the strengthening of the Apperley Lane bridge structure to withstand the pressure exerted by the increased flow of water.

Other work involved with the scheme has included the construction of new flood defence walls and embankments, new flow control structures and pumping stations and a Natural Flood Management (NFM) programme. This programme will help reduce and control the flow of rainwater into the river using natural techniques, such as tree planting. It is the first NFM programme in the UK to be implemented at catchment scale and will see the implementation of a range of measures throughout the Aire catchment right up to the source of the river in Malham. The NFM measures are due to be completed by 2025.

Leeds City Council has also conducted the removal of obstructions along the river to reduce water levels and made local access enhancements.

When it is complete, Leeds FAS2 will reduce flood risk to a 0.5% probability of occurring in any given year, a 1-in-200-year level of flood protection, for 1,048 homes and 474 businesses in the area. This level of protection includes an allowance for climate change up to 2069 and will be effective for similar events to the boxing day floods in 2015 caused by Storm Eva, which cost Leeds an estimated £36.8M and the city region more than £500M.

Leeds City Council executive member for sustainable development and infrastructure Helen Hayden said: “The Leeds FAS2 will increase the resilience of thousands of homes and businesses as well as key infrastructure in Leeds and Bradford from devastating financial, environmental, and emotional impact of flooding.

“The works here in Apperley Bridge are an important part of this scheme. We would like to apologise for any disruption caused and thank everyone in the area for their support and patience as we make progress towards a more climate resilient Leeds city region.”

A Bradford Council spokesperson said: “It is great to see the flood alleviation works are progressing as planned. Whilst the traffic management system may cause motorists slight delays in their journeys, I hope that everyone can plan ahead and allow more time so the impact is minimal.”

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