Northwich official flood plan has now been been revealed

Northwich Town Centre Multi-Agency Emergency Flood Plan was unveiled to the public at a meeting at Northwich Memorial Hall on Thursday, February 9, attended by ‘risk management authorities’, Cheshire West and Chester Council (CWAC), United Utilities (UU), and the Environment Agency (EA).

The plan sets out the roles and responsibilities of each agency in the event of floods in the town centre, as well as describing technical details such as the location of pumps in a variety of flood scenarios, and traffic management plans in the event of Northwich Gyratory flooding.

Representatives from the three risk management agencies included Jamie Barron, of CWAC’s highways and transport department; EA's Cheshire and Merseyside flood risk manager Ollie Hope; and UU's network maintenance manager Craig Connor.

From left to right: Ollie Hope (EA), Connor Craig (UU), and Jamie Barron (CWAC) (Image: Equans)

Also present where advisors from The Flood Hub, a social enterprise providing free advice and information about steps people can take themselves to reduce damage to their own property in the event of flooding. 

EA's Ollie Hope said: said: “The plan’s pumping strategy was designed to cope with flooding on a scale similar to that seen during Storm Christoph in 2021.  

“We used sophisticated modelling techniques to determine the best location for the pumps in various different scenarios. We are very confident that we will have access to the pumps when they are needed.

“It also ensures that all necessary decision-makers are in place, meaning we can respond as quickly and efficiently as possible.”

From left to right: Flood Hub advisors Ffion Powell, Andy Ainsworth, and Lydia Gaskell (Image: Newsquest)

Also present were members of Northwich Flood Prevention Group (NFPG), which has campaigned tirelessly for more transparency in relation to the plans as they were being developed, and for risk managment authorities to engage more directly with residents and businesses who would be affected by more flooding.  

A spokesman for the group, Kevin Jones, said: “At last, we can see a glimmer of light.

“At a recent meeting of all parties, and for the first time, we all agreed what we would do to stop Northwich from flooding.

“But there is still some way to go. We believe that there is a difference between preventing flooding, and dealing with it when it happens.

“This plan focuses on the winter, but as the floods in Germany in July 2021 show, it can occur at any time of the year.

“We believe flood prevention should be 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

“With dialogue, we can make his work, and come to some form of understanding."