Upgrade to Flood Defenses on Kingston on Hull Dock Village Facilitates Reopening of Footpath Trail

A popular section of footpath, which is part of the Trans Pennine Trail, is reopening after an upgrade to flood defenses on Hull’s Victoria Dock Village western frontage, located in England.

The majority of the path has opened so people can walk along the estuary front from The Deep up to the corner at the Half Tide Basin. These improvements are part of the £42 million tidal flood defense scheme for Hull. The new defenses will improve tidal flood protection for 113,000 homes and businesses.

Led by the Environment Agency, the Humber Hull Frontage scheme is upgrading seven kilometers of flood defenses along the estuary frontage through the city of Hull. Work is being carried out at eight locations including St Andrew’s Quay Retail Park, Victoria Pier and Victoria Dock Village.

In Victoria Dock Village – West, a new concrete flood defense wall has been constructed and flood gates have been installed at Camilla Close, Ocean Boulevard and Plimsoll Way.

Original paving stones have been used to re-lay the footpath. Glazed panels are due to be installed in some locations to ensure the new wall does not obscure views of The Humber. There is also landscaping yet to take place. A small section of footpath, on the western edge of the Half Tide Basin, will remain closed in the short term to allow the flood glass to be fitted into the flood defense wall when it is received from the manufacturer.

This critical work is essential to maintaining and improving Hull’s flood defenses, and is being carried out in accordance with government guidelines for safe working due to the COVID-19 outbreak.

Contractor BMM-JV (a joint venture between BAM Nuttall and Mott MacDonald) was employed by the Environment Agency to get started at Victoria Dock Village in May 2019. The work is being carried out in two sections: Victoria Dock Village – West, which extends from the Half Tide Basin toward The Deep and Victoria Dock Village – East, which extends from the Half Tide Basin toward Corinthian Way.

All sections of the Humber Hull Frontages flood defense improvements scheme are expected to be completed in spring 2021.