A sample flood defence panel has been installed in Kendal to give residents and visitors the chance to see the proposed design of future defences.
The Environment Agency and contractors, VBA have installed a new sample glass flood defence or wall panel at Little Aynam in Kendal.
The panel completes the flood wall finishes which will be used throughout the Kendal scheme.
A new planning application has been submitted to South Lakeland District Council as the scheme design and construction techniques for Aynam Road and Waterside have been amended.
These amendments have been made to meet the requests of the local community to maximise and retain the riverside views in this popular, central location of Kendal. The original planning application for flood defences was granted in 2019 and will be superseded for Aynam Road and Waterside if new planning approval is granted.
Other design features also form part of the planning application including the addition of ‘Webster’ railings downstream of Miller Bridge. These historically important railings feature on the opposite bank and a copy of these will celebrate their significance to local heritage whilst also providing a gateway entrance to a new and improved riverside walk from Miller Bridge to Jennings Yard Footbridge.
Following consultation and if approved by SLDC, the flood defence wall below the new glass panels will be constructed from reinforced concrete for strength and finished with limestone ‘soldier’ course coping to ensure it complements the surroundings and blends in with the existing look and feel of the town.
The sample flood panels will remain in place throughout the planning consultation by SLDC. This will allow residents of Kendal to visualise the final design which, when complete, will reduce the risk of flooding to 1,480 homes and 1,100 local businesses across the River Kent catchment.
Stewart Mounsey, Area Flood and Coastal Risk Manager for Cumbria said: “Retaining riverside views and preserving Kendal’s heritage remains an important factor in the flood scheme design process and we have listened to and acted on community feedback. We believe that these glass flood panels and locally stone-clad flood walls will enhance the town whilst providing better protection to homes and businesses against the very real threat of flooding.
“I encourage residents to visit the Little Aynam area to see the new flood wall finishes and get a feel for how the flood defences will look once completed.”
Cllr Jonathan Cornthwaite said: “As Chair of the Kendal Town Council Flood Relief Scheme Working group, I would like to endorse the work that the Environment Agency has done so far on the various reaches through Kendal and the ongoing improvement work being carried out, in particular, this latest new redesigned section on Aynam Road, featuring greatly improved slimline stainless steel framed glass panels, mounted on limestone faced reinforced walls with a limestone coping.
“We have worked hard with several engineering specialists companies over a number of months redesigning the glass panel sections to provide not only the flood risk protection the community deserves but to retain the riverside views we all cherish.
“We look forward to continuing our interaction with the Environment Agency in the future, not forgetting the overriding time factor in this scheme is still the need to safeguard and protect those residents’ homes and businesses that were seriously affected in 2015 by Storm Desmond.”
The dates for this consultation will be published on the South Lakeland District Council’s planning portal web page Search for a planning application (southlakeland.gov.uk)
Investment in Kendal’s new defences is part of a record-breaking funding commitment of £5.2 billion for flood and coastal schemes to better protect 336,000 properties across the country. More than £860 million will be spent in 2021/22 boosting design and construction of over 1,000 schemes across England as part of the Environment Agency’s annual capital programme.
