Two public information events on proposals for the Portadown Flood Alleviation Scheme will be held on 14 and 21 March in Portadown Town Hall.
The public are invited to come along and hear about the scheme proposals which include approximately nine kilometres of flood defences across 20 sites in the Portadown area.
Portadown has flooded regularly over the last 30-40 years - the purpose of the scheme is to reduce the risk of flooding from the River Bann and some of its tributaries. The current construction cost estimate is £28 million.
People are encouraged to come along to see the drawings and visualisations of the proposed flood defences as well as the Environmental Statement for the scheme. There will also be an opportunity to engage with the project team who will be available to provide further information during the sessions.
A public consultation on the Environmental Statement will also open on 10 March and remain open until 10 April. Further details on the Environmental Statement and how you can provide your views will be available from 10 March on the departmental website and social media channels.
Amey Consulting has been appointed as the designers of the scheme and the Detailed Design Phase is well advanced. It is expected that procurement to appoint a contractor to complete the works will commence later this year. Following that it is anticipated that the construction phase will take approximately three years to deliver.
Further information on the Portadown Flood Alleviation Scheme can also be found at: www.infrastructure-ni.gov.uk/articles/portadown-flood-alleviation-scheme.
Notes to editors:
- Significant flood events have been recorded during 1986, 1987, 2009, 2011, 2014 and 2015/16. In October 2011 out-of-bank flooding occurred in the Portadown area resulting in the flooding of properties and infrastructure. Further floods in 2014 and 2015 caused damage to residential properties and businesses across the wider Portadown area.
- The proposed scheme is being designed to protect against a “1% Annual Exceedance Probability flood” with an allowance for climate change. This is a flood which is calculated to have a 1% chance of occurring in any given year and is known as the design flood event.
- All media queries should be directed to the Department for Infrastructure Press Office at: press.office@infrastructure-ni.gov.uk.
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- The Executive Information Service operates an out of hours service for media enquiries only between 1800hrs and 0800hrs Monday to Friday and at weekends and public holidays. The duty press officer can be contacted on 028 9037 8110.