Erringden Hillside Flood Alleviation Scheme

The Erringden Hillside Flood Alleviation Scheme will better protect approximately 60 properties from surface water flooding.

The plans for the scheme include:

Installation of Property Flood Resilience Measures at eligible properties at Fairfield and Stubbings Brink
Improvement of highways drainage and surface water capture at New Road, Hebble End, Shelf Road and Palace House Road
Development of NFM opportunities.

About the scheme

Delivered by the Environment Agency, in partnership with Calderdale Council, Ove Arup and Partners, the three main areas of work are above Stubbing Brink, at Hebble End and Fairfield.

Map Key

Latest information

Highways Interventions

June 2025 - Calderdale Council in partnership with the Environment Agency, has completed a series of highway improvements at Erringden Hillside. This work includes a range of highway surface water interventions, such as the installation of build-out systems to capture surface water flows, the replacement of temporary surface water management systems on Hebble End and Palace House Road with permanent, improved measures, and the addition of extra gullies at low points along the highways.

The improvements have been carried out at several locations, including Horsehold/New Road, Hebble End, Shelf Road, and Palace House Road.

Drainage implemented as part of Flood Alleviation Scheme

Property Flood Resilience (PFR)

We held Public Information Open Days at the Hebden Bridge Flood Information Centre, 4 Valley Road on Tuesday 21st May and Tuesday 28th May 2024. We also held a drop-in event on Thursday 21st November at Riverside Junior School, where representatives were available from Flood Protection Solutions and Watertight to talk to residents about potential Property Flood Resilience (PFR) measures at their properties.

Project Documents
Erringden Hillside surface water flood map
Property Flood Resilience (PFR) - FAQs

The area

Erringden Hillside is located along the southern edge of Hebden Bridge in the Calder Valley. The upper slopes are primarily used for agriculture, with wooded areas on the mid slopes providing a buffer between the more developed lower slopes. The impacts of industrialisation associated with the milling industry are evident with the Rochdale Canal and the Calderdale railway flanking the River Calder within a narrow corridor along the valley bottom.

The catchment is characterised by steep slopes, with interconnected bridleways, footpaths and roads that traverse the hillside. The project area has been considered as three discrete elements, which are summarised as follows:

Stubbing Brink

Located at the western end of Hebden Bridge, this straddles the Rochdale Canal and Calderdale railway cutting. The area is primarily residential.

Hebble End

The site is located between the River Calder and Rochdale Canal and contains a mix of residential and commercial properties. It provides an important access point to the Fairfield and Horsehold areas.

Fairfield

Located at the east of Hebden Bridge, it is bounded by the railway line. The area is primarily residential.

The network of footpaths and access tracks on the steep catchment provides efficient routes for surface water to flow down the hillside to the urbanised areas of Hebden Bridge.

Past flood incidents

The three areas within the project have been flooded in recent years. The most notable event was in June 2012 when existing drainage infrastructure was unable to cope with the volumes of surface water, resulting in flooding to many properties.

In December 2015 flooding was widespread across Hebden Bridge. Whilst surface water runoff affected the key study areas, the intensity was generally less than in 2012.

In February 2020 during Storm Ciara, more than 100mm of rain fell in the upper Calder catchment between 11pm Saturday 8 February and 11am Sunday 9 February. This was the second highest flood event recorded in the Calder Valley, second only to the Boxing Day flooding of 2015. Calderdale received more than a month’s rainfall over 48 hours during Storm Ciara (129.8mm). This led to many properties and communities been impacted by flooding again.

Working with the Community

The Environment Agency regularly holds meetings with partners, local councillors and community representatives to provide them with updates on progress of the scheme. A key stakeholder group has been set up - a list of represented groups can be found here. You can view the latest updates shared at the meeting in the link below. The project team has also taken part in community forums such as the Hebden Bridge Business Forum and the Disability Access Forum to get feedback on proposals for the scheme. The project team have worked closely with the local community and flood wardens to understand the local flood risk issues and refine the scheme designs.

As details of the design of the scheme develop there will be further consultations with people who are affected to discuss proposals.