Go-ahead for £42m Humber flood defences upgrade

A BAM Nuttall joint venture has been given the green light for a £42m project to bolster tidal flood defences in the Humber Estuary after funding was agreed.The Environment Agency’s Humber Hull Frontages scheme is expected to improve flood protection to 113,000 properties.Contractor BMM JV, a joint venture of BAM Nuttall and Mott MacDonald, has been appointed to develop a detailed design and build plan along Hull’s 19km waterfront. This work follows the review of existing flood defences along the banks of the Humber Estuary in Hull conducted by built environment consultants at Arup.Arup project manager Donald Daly said: “Using a range of technologies to collect and make sense of vast amounts of data, we’ve developed plans that will improve defences to account for anticipated changing weather patterns and sea level rises over the next 100 years.”Over the next few months, BMM JV and the Environment Agency will consult with landowners, businesses and local residents on key elements of the proposed designs.Subject to planning approval, work on the Humber Hull Frontages scheme will start in summer 2019 and complete in 2020.