Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans he has to improve the flood resilience of the river (a) Rother and (b) Hipper in the Chesterfield area.

The Environment Agency is:

• Developing a business case for a flood alleviation scheme to reduce the risk of flooding to properties on the River Hipper in Chesterfield. The project currently has a significant funding gap. Funding will need to be identified for the project to be delivered.
• Investigating the removal of a disused bridge over the River Hipper at Clayton Street to reduce obstructions to flow during flood events.
• Developing a project to refurbish a flood defence wall in the St Augustine’s area. This asset reduces risk from the River Rother to properties on Hawthorne, Sherwood, Bridge Street and River View. The Environment Agency, Derbyshire County Council and Chesterfield Borough Council have undertaken a community flood resilience event to discuss how to be better prepared in the event of a flood.
• Reviewing flows and performance of the Avenue Flood Storage Area following Storm Babet. This asset reduces risk from the River Rother to communities downstream in Chesterfield. Subject to funding, the Environment Agency will undertake an optimisation study to assess whether there are any operational improvements that can be undertaken to further reduce flood risk.
• With other partners, investigating any potential for further storage on tributaries of the Rivers Rother and Hipper, for example Spital Brook and Holme Brook.
• Continuing to work with partners to develop natural flood management opportunities within the Rother and Hipper Catchments to help slow the flow and reduce risk to downstream communities.

The Environment Agency also carried out a flood warning validation exercise following Storm Babet to help improve the flood warning service.

To ensure that communities are better protected, Defra has established a ministerially led cross-governmental Flood Resilience Taskforce, with the first meeting taking place in September. The Flood Resilience Taskforce will ensure that preparedness and resilience to flooding is reviewed regularly before the start of the main flood season; and that it is continuously improved to ensure optimum protection to people, homes and businesses. It will also provide ministers with longer-term oversight of wider floods resilience strategy and investment programmes.