Steve Brine has welcomed news that Winchester City Council is working in partnership with Hampshire County Council, the Environment Agency and the University of Southampton to develop a flood water management scheme around the North Walls/Park Avenue area of the City.
A public consultation on this scheme will run online from 28th January until 12th February, and the Winchester MP is urging local people to take part.
This area is within the flood zone, and buildings such as St Bede Church of England Primary School, the University of Southampton School of Art and River Park Leisure Centre are very vulnerable to flooding. Once water starts to overflow from this area along Park Avenue, residential properties along this road and beyond in the City Centre are then liable to flooding.
This area was protected with temporary flood barriers and sandbag walls during flooding in 2014, and Steve Brine worked with the city community, as well as bringing down Greg Barker MP, the Government's 'Flood Envoy' to work with local councillors on the issue.
All parties are currently working to line up the necessary funding to enable the construction phase of the project to start in summer 2016, and in addition to the consultation, an exhibition of the proposed designs and drawings will take place at in the Westside Lecture Theatre at Winchester School of Art, Park Lane on Wednesday 3rd and Thursday 4th February. The exhibition will be open to the public from 4pm to 7pm on both days and officers will be available to explain the proposed works and answer questions.
Steve said: "I know that Winchester City Council hope to be able to start construction this year on the flood water management measures and are keen to seek local views on the scheme before the design of the measures is finalized, so do please take part in this consultation."
Pictured; Steve Brine brought Greg Barker, David Cameron's Flood Envoy, to Park Avenue in April 2014.
More information ...
You can access the consultation, from 28th January, here
