Barton to New Holland Tidal Flood Alleviation Scheme

Ecology surveys | We have been busy undertaking further ecological surveys over the last few months.

Badger surveys, together with bat roost and tree assessments were completed in January. Badger surveys were focused on the European Badger Meles meles and the bat roost surveys cover all native species in the UK (there are 18!).

We still have some further surveys to complete over the year, including further bat surveys, riparian mammal habitats and invertebrates.

As part of the invertebrate surveys scheduled in June and September, we are aiming to trial a Habitat Suitability Index (HSI) for Sea Aster mining bees developed by biodiversity specialists within the Environmental Agency.

Additional Environmental Considerations | The Humber is an area of ecological value, with designations of international importance. The designated habitats and species within are significant considerations for the project. To capture the baseline condition and identify potential impacts of the scheme, we are undertaking the following:

• Baseline noise assessment to establish the existing noise environment and identify potential affects during construction and operation to both human and ecological receptors.
• Ecological surveys (in addition to those identified above) including water vole, otter, breeding birds and invasive non-native species.
• Assessments of the historic environment and heritage in the study area.
• A review of land quality to identify information relating to historical site uses, ground conditions and risk of contamination.

Ground investigation works have been completed, including the drilling of several boreholes across the site. The resulting ground condition information is now being assessed and will inform the design of the coastal defence improvements.

Specialist inspections of the existing flood walls and coastal revetment have also been carried out. These detailed condition assessments will determine how the current structures can be adapted or improved to meet the project’s requirements.

In parallel, design work for the embankment raising and reprofiling has commenced. This follows the completion of a full topographical survey, which has provided essential information on existing site features and ground levels needed to progress the detailed design.

We have also received good news regarding funding to support installing Property Flood Resilience measures during financial year 2026/2027, following productive meetings with Councillors from North Lincolnshire Council.

It is envisaged that a contribution of £500k from North Lincolnshire Council will enable early installation of Property Flood Resilience measures to manage the residual risk to around 50 vulnerable properties. These could include flood doors; air brick covers and one-way drainage valves.

The necessary funding agreement and contract procurement are underway, with property surveys envisaged to commence from Spring 2026.

There is also the possibility that a further funding contribution will be made available towards further defence resilience measures forming part of the Full Business Case.

The Full Business Case contract with Arup’s team commenced at the end of December 2025. Early design planning including topographic, services and asset inspection surveys, geotechnical modelling, constraints mapping, will provide the foundation for the production of the detailed design drawings and specifications throughout the spring/summer.

Most environmental surveys are also planned for spring and summer '26, but preliminary bat and badger surveys have already taken place, as well as a baseline noise assessment.

After the detailed design is complete later in 2026, further environmental assessment will be undertaken. This is necessary to assess and manage impacts during construction, before the full business case is submitted for assurance.

We anticipate holding a series of community engagement events following the completion of the detailed design to provide an update of our proposals.

Funding update | We have now received confirmation that the project has been allocated £750k to continue through to the 2026/27 financial year. Although less than requested, it nevertheless allows the project to continue at its current pace and to make good progress.

Project Timeline | The Full Business Case is envisaged to be approved in summer 2027. This should enable preparation works to commence in late 2027. Phased construction is expected in 2028 with completion by late 2029.

Next Steps | The next key steps are:

• Ongoing ecological surveys
• Design Stage 1 review
• Progress Stage 2 design tasks, including earthworks modelling, specification preparation, drawings and design report.

The Resilience Advisory Group (RAG) is a forum for dialogue between the project team and a range of stakeholders including local councils, organisations, and community groups that represent the interests of the community and the area. Each quarter a RAG meeting or update is held to update on project progress and to hear from the RAG membership.

On September 25th we held a RAG meeting to update the group on the progress of the project. The agenda for the session focused on sharing the approval of the Outline Business Case, requesting ideas for environmental and social improvements, and updates on ground investigation works.

Outline Business Case | The approval of this document is a major project milestone and enables us to move forward into detailed design of the project to develop a Full Business Case.

Environmental and Social Improvements | All EA projects should leave the environment in a better state than before by delivering improvements. If you have any ideas for environmental or social improvements, leave a comment or contact us using the enquiries on the banner on the right of the page.

Ground Investigations | Ground investigations aim to understand subsurface conditions, identify potential hazards, and provide essential data for safe design and construction.

On September 15th, 2025, the Barton to New Holland project team conducted a site visit along the embankment path around Barton upon Humber. This visit was organised as part of the project's transition into the detailed design phase.

Primarily, it aimed to introduce new members of the team to the physical environment of the project, allowing them to gain firsthand experience of the site’s layout, conditions, and context. By walking the route and observing critical features of the landscape, the team were able to deepen their understanding of the area’s constraints and opportunities.

Our project team held three community drop-in events in New Holland, Barton, and Barrow Haven in February of 2024. The purpose of these events was to share our viable solution and enhancement measures and to gather feedback from the general public to guide the design and hear from the community on what is important to you.

At the community drop-in events, we spoke to over 190 residents, business owners, local councillors, and members of the wider community. As well as sharing the scheme’s current proposals, we provided updates on our environmental surveys, information on ground investigations, and explained how this project fits into the wider Humber 2100+ strategy.

The feedback collected at the both the events and our virtual engagement platforms has fed into the scheme’s outline design and helped to determine the best approach to support flood resilience of the area.