Planned city flood defence scheme could cost £70m

A huge project to protect hundreds of homes and businesses from flooding could cost dramatically more than was originally expected.

The River Itchen Flood Alleviation Scheme (RIFAS) is a partnership between Southampton City Council and the Environment Agency.

The plans cover the west bank of the River Itchen in Southampton.

In 2021, the project was estimated to cost £41m, however, a recent council meeting heard it could now be in the region of £70m.

The council says more than 100 homes and 200 businesses are currently at risk of flooding.

Proposals have been progressing in recent years to reduce the risk over a 2.2-mile (3.5km) stretch along the west bank of the river.

The project would stretch from Mount Pleasant Industrial Estate in the north, down to Southampton Water Activities Centre to the south of Itchen Bridge.

Councillor Steve Leggett, who was the cabinet member responsible for flooding from 2018 to 2021, said based on projections from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which the council received in 2016, Southampton is at risk of flooding over the next 100 years as global temperatures rise.

"It would affect the city centre, it would affect the football stadium, it would affect 10 wards in the city," he said.

He has called for more detail on the scheme to be shared with the council after the last cost figure for the project he received was £70m.

He said: “It is such a critical investment in the infrastructure of the city, for the growth of the city and it would be good to get more detail.”

The Environment Agency and council agreed a partnership to relaunch RIFAS in early 2019.

The timeline, five years ago, said detailed design work could take until 2027 before a full business case is presented.

Councillor Richard Blackman said the committee was clear that the scheme was “critical to the growth and prosperity of the city”.

However, he said there had not been an answer about the progress of the project and any funding gap at the committee meeting.

Councillors agreed to invest £10m in the scheme in 2021 with the Environment Agency expected to fund the rest when the overall cost was expected to be about £41m.

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