River Plym and Embankment Road. Photo: Lewis Clarke

Work complete on Arnold’s Point flood defence scheme

Work to build a new tidal flood defence wall along Embankment Road has been completed, two weeks early.

The Arnold’s Point scheme has been a joint project between Plymouth City Council and the Environment Agency to reduce the risk of flooding in the area.

Funded by the Environment Agency through a Flood Defence Grant in Aid (GiA) allocation, the £340,000 scheme has replaced the existing railings along the Plym estuary with a new solid limestone wall.

The scheme was designed by the Council’s highways contractor Amey and will protect the currently exposed area from rising tides and overtopping during severe weather events.

Councillor Mark Coker, Cabinet Member for Transport, said: “We are pleased to have been able to work with the Environment Agency to strengthen flood defences in this area, which suffers from frequent flooding issues. Just last year waters breached the top of the previous defences, causing surface flooding which impacted upon residents getting in and out of the city.

“As our climate changes, it’s crucial that we take steps like this to reduce the risk of flooding in vulnerable areas and help ensure the future resilience of Plymouth’s road network, as well as protect homes and businesses from damage.

“We’ve managed to complete the works two weeks early, which is great news for motorists. We’ve also seen an improved traffic flow into the city while the right-hand turn into Lanhydrock Road has been closed, so we’ve decided to extend this arrangement for a short period of time to test whether this continues after the other traffic management measures have been lifted.”