A workshop to address Hull’s relationship with water will take place with representatives from a number of sectors including business, housing, environment and health and wellbeing.
Earlier this year, Hull was selected alongside Miami, Cape Town, Amman and Mexico City to contribute to the development of a new City Water Resilience Framework (CWRF).
As part of this worldwide project, consultants from Arup Group on behalf of the Rockefeller Foundation have spent the last week in Hull researching ways in which the city is building a resilient urban water system to address past, present and future water challenges.
Councillor Daren Hale, portfolio holder for flood management, said:
“This is the first time we are welcoming the team to the city and show them the incredible progress Hull has made in terms of building a flood resilient city. It also brings into focus our critical partnership – Living with Water, highlighting the work we are doing alongside Yorkshire Water, the Environment Agency and the East Riding of Yorkshire Council to develop flood prevention infrastructure.”
Lee Pitcher, Yorkshire Water, said:
“We are thrilled to be involved and able to offer our expertise and support. We have invested over £40m on pumping stations to help protect the city but it is vital we work with companies such as the Arup Group on further solutions. The Living with Water partnership is vital as we look to raise the awareness of the issues of flooding to the people of Hull.”
Paul Stockhill, East Yorkshire Partnership Manager for the Environment Agency, said:
“The Living with Water Partnership, and now the City Water Resilience Framework, is building on already strong working relations that is seeing the EA, Hull City Council, East Riding of Yorkshire Council and Yorkshire Water deliver more than £200m of flood alleviation work in Hull and East Riding, including flagship schemes the River Hull Defences, Hull Humber Frontages, Willerby and Derringham, Anlaby and East Ella, and Cottingham and Orchard Park.
“As well as better protecting people and homes in Hull and East Yorkshire, these schemes help make the city and surrounding area an attractive place to visit and do business.”
In order to gather the relevant data, the team have been assessing the risks, shocks and stresses posed to our city and the wider water catchment which the city relies on, and what existing plans are in place for water resilience for the possibility of both too much and too little water.
These plans will be discussed at a workshop Wednesday 27 June at The Guildhall, and will assess the levels of reliance on water from across all different sectors in order to establish how they can become more resilient to the challenges around this.
