Plans have been lodged to install flood gates on the River Irwell to provide protection to thousands of homes and businesses in Radcliffe. The Hardy’s Gate Bridge flood gates in Radcliffe would be designed to reduce the risk of a repeat of the extreme floods of Boxing Day in 2015 if approved.
That day was classed as an ‘extreme flood event’, measured to be the worst on record on that stretch of the River Irwell. The harm associated with the rainfall from Storm Eva was considered to be extensive.
More than 700 homes and businesses were affected as well as critical infrastructure such as substations, which caused further electrical failures to around 1,500 properties. The nearby waste water treatment plant was also overwhelmed by the rain and also polluted the flood-water.
Flood defence schemes have already been completed or approved at Close Park and Dumers Lane for the downstream element and another phase for flood defences have been built at Tork Street, Redvales Business Park, Bury Point, Keswick Drive, Warth Business Park and Lower Hings.
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Planning documents lodged with Bury Council by the Environment Agency this week gave details of the Hardy’s Gate Bridge element of the plans. The planning statement, said; “The flood gate development will be comprised of one slide-operated gate on the southern limit of the Hardy’s Gate Bridge, as well as one swing-operated gate on the northern extent.
"The two flood gates will extend across Dumers Lane to secure the bridge if an extreme flood event were to occur. Each flood gate has been devised to achieve minimum level of 69.85m based on the likelihood of 1-in-100-year event, with an additional allowance of 50 per cent for influence of the climate change.”
The southern flood gate will move across Dumers Lane between the two bridge support pilasters found on either side of the bridge wall. The flood gate on the southern extent of the bridge will retract behind the defence wall and will either be moved into place with mechanical winch or manually.
If approved, the construction of each flood gate will take place within the hours of 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday and will take approximately four weeks to complete. The planning document said it had been assumed that the installation of each flood gate will be accomplished with one-lane closure on Dumers Lane.
The planning statement concluded: “The Hardy’s Gate Bridge flood gates development will form an essential feature of the flood defences for the Radcliffe and Redvales area.
“When in use, the gates will close across Dumers Lane to defend the road from an extreme flood incident.” Planners in Bury will consider the plans in the coming weeks.
