Electric vehicles deployed on Hebden Bridge Flood Alleviation Scheme
A range of electric vehicles have been deployed by the Environment Agency as part of the Hebden Bridge Flood Alleviation Scheme.
The range of vehicles includes electric cars for visits throughout Hebden Bridge and the Calder Valley area, as well as electric vans used by engineers and supervisors.
Large electric vans will be used to transport people around site and minimise traffic within the town, with large electric pick ups to replace transit van pick-ups to transport materials and people.
The Hebden Bridge Flood Alleviation Scheme (FAS), led and developed by the Environment Agency, aims to improve flood protection for approximately 400 properties and is vital to improving the town’s flood defence.
A key element of the early flood defence work in Hebden Bridge includes a revamp of the Vale Centre site on Stubbing Holme Road, which will be used as a construction site compound to store materials and machinery.
The work also involves repairing the dilapidated wall at the Vale Centre and construction of a canal overflow weir. This work is due to start in winter 2021 and aims to reduce flooding on the canal front upstream of the aqueduct in Hebden Bridge by discharging excess water into the River Calder.
Further work to deliver the fluvial and surface water elements of the scheme are forecast to commence in summer 2022 until 2025.
Christian Merriman, flood & coastal risk management advisor at the Environment Agency, said: “We’re already seeing the impacts of the climate emergency in the UK. The Environment Agency is committed to achieving net zero carbon by 2030. To achieve this, we will need to cut our carbon emissions by 45%.
“This is a huge and important challenge to help mitigate the effects of climate change. The use of electric vehicles at Hebden Bridge is just one of the measures we have implemented to help achieve our target.”
Councillor Scott Patient at Calderdale Council added: “It’s fantastic to hear that the Environment Agency and contractors BAM Nuttall are using electric vehicles as part of the Hebden Bridge scheme. The Council declared a climate emergency in early 2019 and, since then, work has accelerated to minimise the impacts of the climate crisis and ecological breakdown whilst providing much needed resilience for our flood-prone communities.
“By working with our partners, Calderdale’s bold ambitions of being carbon neutral by 2038 or sooner can be achieved. We have also supported this by installing a network of on- and off-road charging infrastructure to help workers and visitors stay fully charged.”
