Improved flood defences for Matlock

A flood wall has been completed in Matlock as part of the Environment Agency's project to reinstate the flood defences of the town.

The wall will provide protection for 50 homes and businesses from the river Derwent.

A privately owned wall in the same place collapsed after damage from floods in February 2022.

The project is being delivered in partnership with Derbyshire County Council and Derbyshire Dales District Council.

Construction of the flood wall began in August 2022. Work on the stone cladding for the wall has now begun and will finish this summer. Derbyshire stone from a nearby quarry will be used.

Naomi Doughty, Flood Risk Manager for the Environment Agency said: “We’ve reached a significant milestone by completing the flood defence and reinstating protection to the town from river flooding. It’s been a challenging construction due to a wet winter and complexity of working in a dynamic river environment but we’ve swiftly reinstated flood protection to homes and businesses.

“Our attention has now turned to cladding the steel sheet piles to create a high-quality finish using locally sourced materials that are in-keeping with the historic environment. This will provide a lasting legacy for people of Matlock to feel proud of.

“We’re aiming to complete the aesthetic work over the summer, with the aim of fully completing the project in the Autumn.

“We are working with Derbyshire County Council on a plan which will see the A6 reopened in early September and Matlock Bridge reopened to single lane traffic.

“We would like to thank the local community for their continued support and understanding throughout these essential flood defence works and apologise for the temporary disruption caused by the construction works.”

Image: Andrew Bone from Weymouth, England, CC BY 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons