Hebden Bridge Flood defences delayed until 2028, and funding still isn’t approved

The Environment Agency has told Calderdale Inside Out that construction now won’t start until early 2028, and doesn’t expect the funding to be in place until mid-2027.

Construction of the Hebden Bridge Flood Alleviation Scheme, first proposed over a decade ago, has been further delayed according to the Environment Agency. Work is now due to start in “early 2028”, contradicting the scheme’s own “Eye On Calderdale” website which says work will be starting next year.

An agency spokesperson, speaking exclusively to Calderdale Inside Out, confirmed “Currently, the project is not fully funded for the future construction phase”. 

Ongoing work is being paid for through a mix of government flood grants, and the regional flood committee’s local levy and contributions from partners.

Funding for the £80m+ scheme in Hebden Bridge is obtained by submitting what is known as a ‘full business case’ to the agency’s internal ‘large project group’. This is where all costs of the scheme are weighed up, and whether the benefits provided by the scheme are considered worth the investment. In November 2025 the council’s flood investment group was told the Full Business Case was heading towards the Large Project Investment Group in early 2026. And then in January 2026 the Agency told a flood summit at Dean Clough in Halifax that the submission likely be in Spring and would be a “huge milestone”. In March this year the flood group was being told the business case was heading for technical review. We are now being told that the funding case will not be submitted until mid-2027.

And this latest statement contradicts assurance given on the agency’s own website. The scheme’s page “Eye On Calderdale” says the team is working hard to start construction in mid-2027. That probably shouldn’t be too surprising because the page still lists “securing planning permission” as one of the milestones. Planning permission was given almost six months ago.

In a statement the Environment Agency re-affirmed its commitment to supporting flood alleviation in Hebden Bridge. A spokesperson said:-

“The Environment Agency is committed to deliver the Hebden Bridge Flood Alleviation Scheme and strengthen the town’s defences against flooding from all sources.

“The challenges are significant, with the town’s limited space, historic environment, ecological considerations, and the severe nature of flood events requiring carefully designed and often complex interventions.

“We’re combining new engineering schemes with natural flood management to help make communities more resilient.

“With a changing climate, we can never completely prevent flooding. We urge people to be prepared and get flood warnings by visiting www.gov.uk/flood or calling Floodline on 0345 988 1188.”