South Gloucestershire Council’s Cabinet, a unitary authority in the South West of England region, has given the green light to progress the next stage of the Avonmouth Severnside Enterprise Area (ASEA) ecological mitigation and flood defense project.
Cabinet approved the council’s financial contribution of up to ￡31.95m for the construction of flood defenses and ecology mitigation works within the ASEA, which crosses the South Gloucestershire and City of Bristol boundary.
The decision to proceed to the second phase of the project will see the detailed design and build of the proposals.
“The project will deliver 17km of new flood defenses that will protect local communities and reduce flood risk to at least 2,500 homes and businesses, now and into the future. It will also encourage businesses to invest in the Avonmouth Severnside Enterprise Area, helping to support the creation of 12,000 new jobs by 2026,” according to an official announcement.
The proposed flood defense upgrade involves raising existing earth embankments and walls as well as some other innovative techniques, said the council.
The new flood defenses will allow for anticipated rising sea levels and will ensure that any flood risk is reduced for at least 60 years.