Flood defences for city approved

North Yorkshire suffered major flood damage in June 2005

An £11.7m flood defence scheme for Ripon has been approved - just months after the Environment Agency (EA) ruled it out as too expensive.

Councillors approved the project, which involves building flood defence walls and embankments to protect 500 homes.

The city has suffered five significant floods between 1982 and 2005.

In March, the EA said funds were no longer available for this current financial year. There has been no announcement on when work will start.

However, the EA said it wanted to secure planning permission so once funding became available it would be able to begin the detailed design of the scheme straight away.

'Adverse impact'

The proposals include the River Laver flood storage site at Birkby Nab and works at Borrage Lane, Alma Weir, Fisher Green and North Bridge.

The development will result in the loss of more than 200 trees within the Ripon Conservation Area.

Recommending approval, Harrogate Borough Council planning officer Mark Williams conceded the flood defences would have a major adverse impact on the landscape and had the potential to harm the ecology of the river and surrounding land.

"However, the proposed development would bring major significant social and economic benefits to the area, including the protection of domestic and commercial properties, and the long-term protection of the historic environment of Ripon," he said.

"Considerable weight needs to be attached to these benefits, which are a material planning consideration and in this instance warrant setting aside local planning policies."