A £700k scheme designed to reduce the risk of persistent flooding within a Cockermouth community is to be awarded a North West Institution of Civil Engineers plaque in recognition of the project. This award marks the huge contribution made by Cockermouth Flood Action Group in working with the Environment Agency on the scheme.
The town’s Gote community suffered flooding three times in five years, bringing with it disruption and misery to households. The flood alleviation scheme won the ICE North West’s coveted Community Project Award earlier this year.
Now Institution of Civil Engineers President Richard Coackley is to unveil the plaque which recognises the close co-operation which secured a successful outcome. And Mr Coackley praised the partnership which lay at the heart of the scheme.
“Partnership can be an overused term. Yet the close co-operation between the Environment Agency and Cockermouth Flood Action Group clearly demonstrates what can be achieved in delivering a first rate project that has changed lives within this community for the better,” he said.
The flood alleviation project which now protects 42 homes was hallmarked by a full programme of community engagement via the Cockermouth Flood Action Group comprising residents of the close knit neighbourhood. The Environment Agency encouraged community involvement, both in planning the scheme and its subsequent management.
The EA project team and CFAG worked closely together throughout the project, with the action group securing long term ownership and maintenance agreements for a new pumping station.
The group also contributed to delivering the project, working alongside the Environment Agency and its suppliers in the designing and supervising the works. The end result is a project which has significantly reduced the flood risk to this community, in addition to helping safeguard the River Derwent’s habitat – a Site of Special Scientific Interest.