Flood Project Underway in Exeter

The Environment Agency, Exeter City Council and Devon County Council are working together to design and build a scheme which will reduce flood risk for the city of Exeter.

The £30 million worth flood defense project has been split in two phases with the phase 1 now substantially complete.

Phase 2 of the scheme gained planning permission on 29 June 2015. The Environment Agency aims to start constructing phase 2 in summer 2016 with the completion set for 2018.

Construction work on the phase 1 of the project, just downstream of Exeter Quay, began in 2014 using the Environment Agency’s permitted development powers. The Trew’s flood relief channel and the side spill weir at the top of the channel have both been lowered.

Material removed from the flood relief channel has been temporarily stored on Bromham’s Farm playing field, and will be re-used during phase 2 of the project.

The current flood defenses were built in the 1960s and 70s after devastating flooding affected over 1,000 properties.