East Suffolk Council
New flood defences tested ahead of winter weather
Lowestoft’s recently completed tidal wall defences, that will reduce the risk of flooding in the town, will be tested this week in readiness for the winter season.
A training exercise will be held between 8.00am and 4.00pm on Thursday 21 September to test the deployment of a section of the new defences and flood gates. The permanent tidal flood defences will be used in combination with the existing temporary flood barriers to reduce the risk of flooding to the town.
Every year the emergency response against a tidal surge, such as that which happened in December 2013, is tested and those operating the barriers are put through their paces to ensure that East Suffolk Council can provide the best possible response to the threat of a further North Sea tidal surge.
This year the exercise will be held at Hamilton Road where all the demountable defences will be deployed. The defences will be erected, disassembled and re-stowed as part of the exercise. Disruption will be kept to a minimum however some parking restrictions will be in place. The exercise will begin at 8.00am and last approximately eight hours.
Cllr Kay Yule, East Suffolk’s cabinet member for Planning and Coastal Management said: “It is essential that we regularly test our emergency response to avoid the severity of flooding experienced by people and businesses in 2013. If required, the demountable defences and temporary flood barriers are deployed in places around the town where flooding was at its worst at that time. Each year, we carry out a trial deployment to ensure we are ready to face the winter.”
The tidal flood walls began construction in May 2021 and have been built along Hamilton Road, Waveney Road and Station Square to the North and around the Royal Norfolk and Suffolk Yacht Club and South Pier to the South.
The defences on Hamilton Road, Waveney Road and Station Square are made up of a mixture of solid flood walls, demountable defences and flood gates. Glass flood walls run around the Yacht Club and South Pier to maintain views of the marina and Port.
In the event of a tidal surge, all the completed demountable defences and flood gates will be deployed and temporary barriers will be constructed in a position to best protect the most vulnerable areas from flooding.
The barriers were purchased to provide protection for the town whilst a permanent flood scheme, known as the Lowestoft Flood Protection scheme, is created. The tidal flood walls built as part of this scheme are completed and will form part of this exercise for the first time this year.
Find out more about the Lowestoft Flood Protection scheme at www.lowestoftfloodprotection.co.uk