Poole Bridge to Hunger Hill Flood Defence Scheme Consultation
This consultation has now closed.
BCP Council, in collaboration with the Environment Agency, landowners, developers and others is working to provide new flood defences from Poole Bridge to Hunger Hill. The infrastructure will reduce the significant tidal flood risk to residents and properties in Poole town centre, the Old Town and surrounding areas over the next 100 years.
The proposed flood defence scheme will span approximately 1.5km along the eastern side of Holes Bay. When constructed, it will work in conjunction with other nearby flood defences, including the Creekmoor and Sterte drainage channels, as well as the raised quayside wall along Poole Quay.
We are asking for your views on any potential impacts the proposed scheme could have on you/the area.
What is meant by flood risk?
Flood risk refers to the likelihood and potential impact of flooding in a given area in any given year.
What are flood defences and why are they needed?
Flood defences are systems put in place to reduce damage by flood water to properties and infrastructure.
Over the last 25 years, it was anticipated that on-going regeneration would deliver full flood protection. However, recent developments have only provided flood defences along short lengths. This incomplete defence leaves the whole area vulnerable to tidal flooding which is expected to increase in frequency and severity with climate change. Extensive efforts are needed to raise land levels and close the gaps in the flood defence line to ensure that the local community is effectively safeguarded.
What potential flood damage could there be without defences?
The value of potential damages to property and infrastructure calculated in the scheme area in a ‘do nothing’ scenario over the next 100 years is £161 million. This area is shown in red on the map below.
What will the Scheme do?
BCP Council is working with design and environmental consultant WSP and local Contractor Knights Brown to design a flood defence scheme that can be adapted in the future, when more is known about sea level rise. This allows us to make best use of the current available funding and still provide the desired standard of protection over the scheme life. In the short term it means we can reduce the visual impact of defences and in the long term the height of defences can be increased in increments to keep pace with climate change.
The proposed scheme area will be separated into five zones with interventions planned for 2071 and 2105. These can be seen on the map below:
- Zone A - Holes Bay Road (A350) to Lifeboat Quay Defences will be raised now to 2.65m AOD* now, then raised to 3.6m AOD in 2071. Where there are existing flood defences in Zone A, no work is needed at this time.
- Zone B - RNLI All Weather Lifeboat Station Already protected for the next 85 years. No work is needed at this time.
- Zone C - Slip Way To make best use of existing assets, ground levels will be raised to 2.49m AOD and then raise again to 3.6m AOD in 2071.
- Zone D - RNLI College Already protected for the next 50 years. No work is needed at this time.
- Zone E - RNLI car park to Poole Bridge It is more cost effective to replace the current quay walls, raising the height to 3.6m AOD.
*Above Ordnance Datum (AOD) is a fixed reference level which has replaced “above sea level” as the standard reference from which vertical heights on maps are measured.
Events
- Thursday 5th September: 10am-4:30pm - come and see us at Edith Lyle Hall, West Quay Road, Poole, BH15 1JF
- Wednesday 11th September: 6:45-8pm - join us online for a presentation and Q&A session. Book your free place on Eventbrite here
How to take part
Please tell us your views on the proposed flood defence scheme by:
Reading the information document and completing the online survey
Paper versions of the information document and survey are available in all of BCP's libraries
Downloading a paper copy of the survey here and returning it to the address below by the deadline:
Poole Bridge to Hunger Hill Flood Defence Scheme Consultation, Research and Consultation Team, BCP Council, Town Hall, Bourne Avenue, Bournemouth, BH2 6DY; or drop them into the 'Have Your Say' boxes in any of BCP’s libraries.
The consultation will close at midnight on 30 September 2024. If you have any questions or need the survey in a different format, please email coastal@bcpcouncil.gov.uk.