Environment Agency Press Release: 20/05/2022
A Community Flood Hub is opening on Little Aynam, Kendal to provide people with the opportunity to find out more about the multi-million-pound investment to better protect the town from flooding.
The building next to the River Kent will be open Tuesdays and Thursdays between 10am and 4:30pm and will provide information on the Kendal Flood Risk Management Scheme.
The Community Flood Hub is a one-stop-shop to find out about the Kendal Flood Risk Management Scheme and a meeting point for residents and business owners to come and discuss the plans with members of the Environment Agency project team.
Environment Agency, Flood Risk Management Scheme Engagement Advisor, Maria Ullyart said:
“The Community Flood Hub provides a place for the community to ask questions and find out more about the plans and the development of the town’s Flood Risk Management Scheme. As well as having the plans, designs and artists impressions of the scheme, we will also have the samples of the flood wall finishes which will feature through the town.
“As well as providing better flood risk management for Kendal, the project also provides local economic and community benefits.”
During construction, local firms and specialists are being employed and specialist contractors from outside Kendal are encouraged to stay in local accommodation. Building materials are being sourced locally, including the stone for facing of the walls which is coming from a quarry in Orton.
In the town centre the flood defences will be made mainly from re-using existing stone or natural stone cladding, this is the same stone as Cumbria County Council are using for the cladding on the new footbridge.
The scheme includes a new community nature area in the centre of Kendal, at Beezon Fields, and the Environment Agency is working with archaeologists and historians, as initial groundwork unveils the historic past of the town.
Kendal’s story is closely connected to the River Kent, and the finds being made by the archaeologists who the Environment Agency is working with, add to what is currently know about the area in the 2nd and 3rd century AD and post-medieval times
The integrated design will improve access for all to the riverside area of Kendal, with new paths, seating areas and greenspaces to enjoy.
Information about the flood scheme is also available online at www.thefloodhub.co.uk/kendal or download the Volkerstevin Engage App which is available from your app store, free of charge for iPhone and Android phones.
Kendal Community Flood Hub will open on Tuesday, May 24, 10am to 4.30pm.
