The first phase of a new £50 million flood defence project has been opened in Leeds.

The first phase of the Leeds Flood Alleviation Scheme was officially unveiled by Council Leader Judith Blake CBE and Chair of the Environment Agency, Emma Howard Boyd, on Wednesday, 04 October.

The development aims to protect more than 3,000 homes, 500 businesses and 300 acres of development land against flooding from the River Aire and Hol Beck.

It comprises of three main elements; state-of-the-art mechanical weirs, the merging of the river and canal and flood walls and embankments stretching 4.5km through the city centre.

The moveable weirs, which are the first to be used in the UK for flood alleviation purposes, have been installed at Crown Point in the city centre and further downstream at Knostrop, where a new locally manufactured bridge has also been installed across the weir connecting the diverted Trans Pennine Trail with the north bank of the river.

Weighing approximately 150 tonnes and spanning approximately 70 metres, the bridge has been designed by Knight Architects, ARUP and BMMjv (a joint venture between BAM Nuttall and Mott MacDonald).

Other features include the removal of a manmade island, known locally at Knostrop Cut, to improve a bottleneck for flows. 180,000 tonnes of material excavated from the site has been reused on a local development site and also on diverting the Trans Pennine Trail which previously went across the manmade island. Reusing this material has saved the project around £6m.

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Earlier stages involved work at Woodlesford further downstream, while environmental enhancements such as fish and eel passes installed at both weirs.

Around 150 jobs and apprenticeships have been created through the scheme's development and construction.

Work on River Aire is now substantially complete while work at Holbeck is set to continue into autumn.

Council Leader Judith Blake CBE said: "We are delighted to see this much-needed first phase of the Leeds Flood Alleviation Scheme opened. As could be seen by the devastation at Christmas 2015, providing increased flood protection in Leeds is essential in terms of reassuring our residents and businesses, and this fantastic state-of-the-art scheme provides it for the city centre and downstream at Woodlesford.

"The clever use of the mechanical weirs is a brilliant idea, and they have also brought about environmental benefits with the improved river quality bringing salmon and otters, while the new bridge looks stunning offering great views of the river and beyond as part of the Trans Pennine Trail.

"We'd like to thank everyone involved in this phase of the scheme and look forward to developing the plans for phase two and beyond, as only through an entire catchment and citywide approach can we protect all communities in Leeds from the threat of flooding."

EA Chair Emma Howard Boyd said: "This ground-breaking scheme will not only benefit hundreds of homes and businesses in the city but it will also safeguard 22,000 jobs over the next 10 years due to the increased level of protection it provides. It's been great to see Leeds City Council and the Environment Agency working together in partnership to better protect the city – and it is one of many schemes in the Defra programme investing £430 million to reduce flood risk across Yorkshire before 2021."

A consultation on the second phase of the Leeds Flood Alleviation Scheme is now open until 16 November, to provide increased flood protection to communities upstream of the city centre.

Work is anticipated to start on site early in 2019.

(LM)