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Having experienced the devastating effects of flooding many times, the Parish Council in the village of Great Ayton in North Yorkshire is taking control by managing a flood defence project for properties, supported by funding from the Environment Agency.

During periods of heavy rainfall, Great Ayton can flood very quickly as all the water runs down the surrounding hills into the River Leven.Traditional flood defence walls were not suitable for Great Ayton, as they would have been too expensive and affected the aesthetics of the picturesque village. So the Environment Agency has worked with the community to come up with an alternative solution.

The project is the first of its kind where the Environment Agency has let the Parish Council manage it.  Over twenty homes will be protected from flooding by a number of individual property flood defences installed by UK Flood Barriers.

In addition to these flood defences, the Environment Agency is working with the NorthYorkMoorsNational Park to employ six apprentices.  They will build flood defences around the village, to capture and store water as it runs down the hills.

Bob Carrick, Project Managerat the Environment Agency said: “This is a first for us at the Environment Agency and we are very excited to be enabling Great Ayton Parish Council to manage the project themselves. We are always looking for ways to be more efficient and allowing the community to manage and oversee the project is a step towards streamlining this process.”

The Parish Council received a £66,000 grant from The Environment Agency in 2011 to fund property protection for residents whose homes are at risk of flooding. Representing the local community, the Parish Council has worked with local home-owners, who will contribute 33% of the cost to protect their homes, with the additional funds being met by the Environment Agency.

Councillor Ron Kirk, Chairman of Great Ayton Parish Council adds: “Property owners in our community who are at risk or have experienced the effects of flooding at first hand have been given the opportunity to protect their property.  This project has been managed by the Parish Council in collaboration with the Environment Agency.  The funding from the Environment Agency has enabled residents to defend their property.  It has been a fulfilling challenge to work with local residents to ensure the most effective solutions that have minimum aesthetic impact are put in place to guard our homes in the future.  We are delighted to be working with the Environment Agency as a partner on the wider project to slow the flow of water running off the Cleveland Hills.”

In addition to protecting homes, the village’s most famous attraction, the much-loved CaptainCookMuseum, has received flood protection free of charge from UK Flood Barriers.

Frank Kelly, Chief Executive of UK Flood Barriers comments: “At UK Flood Barriers we work in partnership with communities and property owners to identify how we can future proof against flood damage, whilst ensuring minimum impact to homes and the environment around them. We feel passionate about protecting the historic, scenic village of Great Ayton, hence why we are offering additional flood defence solutions for its iconic CaptainCookMuseum, at no additional cost to the Environment Agency or the residents.”

One issue requiring attention in Great Ayton was the large proportion of listed properties in the village. However due to the discreet nature of the products from UK Flood Barriers, the District Council planning department agreed that listed building consent was not necessary for the installation to go ahead.

Click here to view news coverage from the Yorkshire Post