Boscastle - Valency flood defence scheme
Welcome to this exhibition
This exhibition is going give to you information about
two things:
● How we are improving the management of flood risk
from the River Valency in Boscastle
● Our plans for the replacement of the Lower Bridge at
Boscastle
These are the next steps for the Environment Agency
following the devastating flood of 16 August 2004 and
our work on the River Jordan.
As you move around this exhibition you will see the nature of construction works that
are planned to improve the management of flood risk issues in the Valency Valley. We
will also explain why the damaged Lower Bridge, near the harbour, needs to be
replaced and will describe to you the options currently being considered by the
Environment Agency, its consultant team and partner organisations.
We would like to know your views and opinions on our proposals, and particularly to
hear what you like and dislike about the bridge concept designs. We need your input
to help us decide on the best solution. Please give us your views by talking to staff on
your way round and filling in a questionnaire.
A to manage the valley to minimise the risk of trees causing blockages to the bridges in
A The range of management options being considered includes selective removal of
Who are we working with?
The Environment Agency and its team are working closely with
North Cornwall District Council and the National Trust to jointly
decide on the right solutions for Boscastle. This is based on public
views expressed at the previous exhibitions in January and
November 2005 and engineering, environmental, heritage and
economic considerations.
The bridge concepts have been prepared after consultation with the
district council, the National Trust and also with English Heritage
and representatives of the local parish council. This is a
collaborative approach and you are a part of this process. We would
like your feedback on our draft proposals to help define the choice
of solution.
B There is a community desire to maintain a vehicle crossing in the harbour area, but if
B discuss and agree future tree management.
The flooding problem
The river channel through Boscastle varies in the amount of water it can take before it
flows out of its banks.
River flows and floods are described by the chance (or probability) of a flood of that
size happening in any one year. A smaller flow has a higher chance of occurring than a
larger flow. So a flow with a 1 in 10 (10%) chance of happening in any one year is
smaller than a flow with a 1 in 100 (1%) chance of happening in any one year. Higher
flow events normally result in flooding.
In August 2004, 42 properties were flooded by the River Valency and more than 80
vehicles were washed away by the fast-flowing water. The river rose very rapidly,
bridges became blocked and fatalities were only avoided by the rapid response of the
emergency services and other authorities.
Managing trees in the River Valency catchment
The Environment Agency and the landowners of the Valency Valley need to agree how
Boscastle. This is an important issue for managing flood risk.
trees, planting more trees to provide natural ‘snagging’ sites, creating features to
strand debris in the flood plain, and regular monitoring surveys of trees to assess
whether any trees pose a risk to future floods
We are using data gathered after the August 2004 flood and a recently completed a
detailed survey of the river valley, from Boscastle to Otterham Station, to help inform
our decisions. In the coming months we will be talking further with landowners to
The flood defence scheme for the Valency
The plan on the left shows the flood defences chosen for Boscastle, which are
intended to reduce the future impact of high flows and flooding on the village.
The elements of the Valency flood defence scheme combine to:
● Increase the ability of the river channel to carry flood flows;
● Reduce the risk of structures blocking with cars, trees or sediment.
The scheme will help reduce flooding from a flood with a 1 in 75 (1.3%) chance of
happening in any one year.
The flood defences will not prevent flooding in Boscastle if a flood of the same
magnitude as August 2004 happens again. This extreme flood had a 1 in 400
(0.25%) chance of happening in any one year (see ‘Living with the risk’ booklet). We
are not proposing a scheme to reduce flooding in such an extreme event because it
could not be achieved without spoiling the character of the village. However, the new
defences are designed to minimise the damage caused when its capacity is
exceeded.
Other options for managing flood risk have been considered and ruled out for a
variety of reasons. Please ask a member of staff if you would like to discuss these.
Lowering and widening the river
The river needs to be widened and lowered to increase the ability of the channel to
carry high flows. The river bed will be lowered from the Lower Bridge up to the public
car park. Most of this lowering will involve excavating the rock of the river bed. In
doing this we aim to retain a natural profile by using the natural rock features and
structure.
The river bank and the access road will be lowered on the north side of the river,
downstream of the B3263 bridge to make a larger river channel for high flows. The
river banks will also be lowered to widen the river in areas of particularly low
capacity, such as on the corner by the lime kilns. In all these construction works we
will try to keep the character of the river by using the natural Boscastle stone.
Design options for the replacement Lower Bridge
The Lower Bridge is a significant obstruction to river flow - the river overflows onto
the road during a flood with a 1 in 10 (10%) chance of occurring in any one year.
the Environment Agency is to improve the flood defence in this area we need to
replace the bridge and move it slightly further downstream than it is at the moment.
This exhibition presents five design concepts for you to consider ranging from a
traditional stone arch bridge to designs incorporating modern materials. Each design
may have things you both like and dislike and we would ask that you tell us what you
think.
All of the options will improve the flow of water below the bridge in the widened river
channel.