Council to decide on £7.5m Lincolnshire flood defence spend

Lincolnshire County Councillors will agree how to start spending a £7.5million fund looking at groundwater flooding next week.

The authority’s Economy and Environment Scrutiny Committee will examine the Greater Lincolnshire Groundwater Project outline business case and be asked to approve the submission to the Environment Agency.

The money for the project comes from a £200 million pot announced by government in 2020 in a bid to build flood and coastal resilience nationwide.

The Greater Lincolnshire partnership, which includes LCC, along with North and North East Lincolnshire councils and a number of other partners, was one of 25 areas selected to receive money.

The business case does not include any specific projects at this time, however, outlines plans to carry out academic research into three trial chalk and sandstone sites including in Barton and Barrow-upon-Humber, Grimsby and Scopwick.

It is hoped that by 2027, once the research is complete “proportionate place-based measures” will be created.

“The proposed activities will improve our ability to understand and plan for groundwater flooding, whilst increasing our ability to protect communities, recover from and respond to high groundwater levels across Lincolnshire,” said the report before councillors.

“By delivering this mix of actions we will move away from individual actions taken at a very local level to address impacts of elevated groundwater levels, for example on an individual property scale, and move to a more community or regional scale.”

If approved the business case will be sent on to Lincolnshire County Council’s executive portfolio holder for environment Councillor Colin Davie to make a final decision.