Businesses to Meet with Flood Defences Developers

27th November 2013

Businesses affected by plans to develop flood defences in the Lower Don Valley area of Sheffield can still meet with developers to discuss the proposals.

  More than 250 companies in the valley are being asked to vote in favour of the proposals which include nearly 40 separate interventions along the 8km stretch of the River Don between Nursery Street in the city centre and the Blackburn Brook near the M1 motorway.    Businesses have until December 13 to respond to the ballot, with a majority yes vote needed in order for the project to proceed from next year.    The £8.1m scheme is reliant on businesses in the Lower Don Valley agreeing to contribute £1.4million to the cost of the defences through a Business Improvement District (BID). Without the private sector contribution, the project will not go ahead.   A range of meetings and forums are being arranged to allow affected businesses to ask any questions they have and ensure they understand the BID proposal that is being presented by Sheffield City Council and Sheffield Chamber of Commerce.   The drop-in sessions will take place on:   ·         Friday 22 November - 12.30pm to 4pm at BDP office reception, 1 North Bank corner of Wicker and Blonk Street, Sheffield.   ·         Thursday 28 November - 12pm to 6pm at Sheffield Chamber of Commerce, Albion House, Savile Street, Sheffield ·         Friday 6 December - 10am to12.45pm at Riverside Court on Don Road, Sheffield and 1.15pm to 4pm at Jessop Riverside off Brightside Lane, Sheffield.   If businesses vote in favour of the BID, they would make a payment calculated on their rateable value over a fixed period of five years to cover part of the building cost and ensure the river channel is properly maintained and kept clear.   Small companies with a rateable value less than £12,000 will be excluded from paying towards the project, while more than 60 percent of businesses in the BID area would pay less than £2,500 over five years towards the flood defences and river management.   The aim is to improve current standards of flood protection, which are estimated as low as a 1 in 25-year event standard, to the target of a 1 in 100-year event standard plus a 40cm freeboard to allow for future climate change.   Sheffield's Lower Don Valley was severely flooded in 2000 and 2007 causing massive disruption and multi-million pound damages to hundreds of businesses, power, transport and telecommunications infrastructure.    For more information about the Sheffield Lower Don Valley flood protection project visithttp://www.scci.org.uk/home/projects/sheffield-lower-don-valley-flood-defence-project