A Kendal footpath closed as work continues on the town’s flood defences has temporarily reopened for Christmas and the new year.
To provide more access to the riverside and Waterside Café, Waterside footpath has been cleared and is now open until January 7.
A spokesman for the Environment Agency said: “The footpath has been closed while construction is underway on the new glass panel flood defences at Waterside.
“Working with our contractors we have been able to reopen Waterside footpath for use over the holidays.”
When completed, the Kendal flood scheme will better protect better protect over 1,920 homes and 2250 businesses when completed.
And the Environment Agency announced that the first of three phases of the scheme has been completed.
The Fern Garden at Stramongate Bridge and the area next to the new motor control centre has reopened.
The Fern Garden area includes the first of the glass panel defences, providing a view of the river, and the flood walls are clad in local natural stone. The nature of the flood work in this area were complex, the agency said, with the majority of construction work delivered underground.
Work at Gooseholme Common has included the complex United Utilities sewer diversion, bespoke glass panel flood walls, the underground infrastructure to house three high volume pumps, and the new Stock Beck culvert system that connects to the outfall located on the bank of the River Kent.
Construction has also included the building of a motor control centre to house all the electrical infrastructure to power the stock beck pumps in flood conditions.
Work on the building is structurally complete with commissioning of the electrical components, which will power the pumps due to be complete this winter.
As construction work progresses well on the Kendal Flood Risk Management Scheme in the Gooseholme Common area of the town, the Environment Agency is working on a three phased approach to handing back the area to the community and visitors to the town.
As the final work progresses, the second phase at St George’s Walk will reopen in spring 2026 along with some areas of Gooseholme Common.
Following further in-river work taking place in summer 2026, the third and final phase around the Stock Beck outfall will be reinstated.
An Environment Agency spokesman added: “The Kendal Flood Risk Management Scheme is a major civil engineering project, taking place within the constraints of the town centre.
“The Gooseholme section of the Kendal Scheme is now more than 85 per cent completed.
“We are reaching key milestones and want to hand back the area to the community as soon as possible, which the three phased approaches allows us to do.”
