£10 million flood-protection scheme for River Severn in Bewdley officially opened today, after two years of work
A £10 million scheme to defend Bewdley from flooding will officially be opened by the town's MP today (Friday).
The scheme to protect 50 properties from flooding in Beales Corner has now been completed, after two years of work, and will officially be opened by Wyre Forest MP Mark Garnier at 1pm today.
The scheme, which covers a 328-yard stretch from Pleasant Harbour House to Millside Court, includes floodwalls, gates and demountable barriers similar to those on the opposite side of the river in Severnside.
Beales Corner has a long history of flooding, most recently in 2020, 2021 and 2022 where homes and businesses were flooded
The 2020 floods prompted the Government to fund the scheme.
When flooding is predicted, trained Environment Agency teams will close flood gates and put up the demountable barriers to prevent floodwater from the river entering the area.
A spokesman for the Environment Agency said it meant important roads in the town would now be dry at times of flood, helping to maintain access to schools.
Prior to the scheme temporary barriers were used, however they consisted of 2,000 individual parts and took up to 12 hours to fully install.
The spokesman said the scheme had struck a successful balance between preventing flood damae while preserving Bewdley's unique heritage character, including the Grade I listed Bewdley Bridge.
Glass panels at the top of the flood wall will maintain uninterrupted views of the town while providing essential protection.
A small amount of landscaping work will continue over the coming months.
Anthony Perry, West Midlands operations manager for the agency, said: “We are thrilled that the much-needed flood risk management scheme at Beales Corner is operationally complete.
"Environment Agency flood risk teams have worked closely with residents in the town for decades," he said.
“This new scheme will improve the lives for many people in the town, and it is comforting to know that future generations won’t have to live with the negative flood impacts those in the past have suffered.”
Councillor Chris Rogers, Wyre Forest Council’s cabinet member responsible for water management, added: "It is fantastic to see this important scheme completed, which means residents and businesses in Wribbenhall will enjoy a similar level of protection to Bewdley."
He said the council supported the scheme from the beginning, granting planning permission in February 2023.
"We are grateful to local businesses and residents for their understanding during the disruption to traffic flows during the works.”
Mr Garnier said flooding had caused many problems for a long time.
"After two long years of disruption from works, but following many decades of misery for residents, it is a delight that we will be reaching completion of the flood defence works," he said.
"A huge amount of effort has gone into getting this done. Both sides of the Severn in Bewdley will be protected from flooding, causing less disruption for our town."
He said the work followed on from another multi-million-pound project completed in 2006, when demountable barriers were introduced to Severnside.
The scheme, on the west bank of the River Severn, reduced the flood risk to 300 homes and businesses.
"These barriers have been erected 29 times since 2006, and have prevented millions of pounds of flood damages as well as the negative social and environmental impacts of flooding."
He said temporary barriers were also tried at Beales Corner, but protection was limited due to their height."
Tree planting has also taken place at Limekiln Bridge storage area to support habitats for wildlife and increase biodiversity in hedgerows and trees.
A comprehensive re-routing of essential services, such as gas, electricity, water, sewerage and communications, also had to be completed to accommodate the new defences.
The removable barriers are stored off-site and only installed when needed, preserving views of the historic bridge during normal conditions.
