Wetter winters, drier summers and increased rainfall linked to climate change means that many parts of the UK – including Leeds – are at greater risk of flooding over time. AECOM is supporting Leeds City Council and the Environment Agency in the delivery of flood alleviation along the River Aire.
Combining traditional engineering methods and nature-based solutions in the Upper Aire Catchment, phase 2 of the Leeds Flood Alleviation Scheme (LFAS2) will protect 1,048 homes and 474 businesses once complete.
Evolution of project role
Appointed as technical advisor to Leeds City Council, we provided specialist expertise and advice to support the council’s in-house project delivery and flood risk management teams who will inherit the flood defence assets. Initially our remit involved site supervision, construction audits, approving flood defence designs and advising on operational and maintenance flood defence activities.
As the project evolved, we are supporting project delivery, including aquatic surveys, coordinating specialist meetings with stakeholders and liaising with the local community.
Collaborative partnerships
Collaboration was vital to this project. We are working in partnership with Leeds City Council, the Environment Agency, Network Rail, Yorkshire Water and Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, and together with the contractors our specialist technical expertise ensured assets are reviewed thoroughly, and work is carried out safely.
Linear floodwalls and embankments provide 1% AEP Standard of Protection (SoP) including the effects of climate change to 2039. There have been approximately 7km of linear defences delivered which complement phase 1 of this flood alleviation scheme.
Delivering a flood storage area at Calverley will raise the SoP of both phases 1 and 2 to 0.5% AEP including climate change to 2039. Further resilience against the impacts of climate change is to be delivered through natural flood management techniques which will retain rainfall in the upper Aire catchment and extend climate resilience to 2069.
Adding value
To safeguard and raise health and safety standards on site, we carry out specialist Safety, Health and Environment (SHE) audits of the construction works and participate in a health and safety steering group with the client and contractor.
In response to Leeds City Council’s target of making the city carbon neutral by 2030, the project team set a target to reduce carbon on the scheme by 20%. Our climate change and sustainability specialists supported the team to identify how the target could be achieved.
Our extensive stakeholder engagement through design consultation and construction has benefited communications across this project. Leeds City Council commented, “Engaging with communities has been crucial to the delivery of the scheme. Stakeholder engagement forms an integral part of the project and AECOM’s communications team working on LFAS2 has ensured we have built good relationships with neighbours along the route, aiding us greatly in delivery of the scheme.”