Carlisle residents are being invited to share their thoughts on a flood risk management scheme for the town at an upcoming community drop-in session.

Hosted by the Environment Agency, on Wednesday 23rd January at Brunton Park, New Sponsors room, the event will provide an opportunity for people to find out more about managing the impact of future flooding in their local area.

Since flooding in early December 2015, which saw large parts of the community affected, the Environment Agency has been exploring ways to better protect the area in the future. This has included extensive appraisal work to identify the best ways to invest government funding for improved flood defences in Carlisle.

The drop-in session, which will take place from 4pm till 7.30pm, will provide an overview of the plans for Carlisle and allow the project team to share the latest developments with the local community.

Environment Agency officers will also be on hand throughout the event to discuss and answer any other questions residents may have.

Stewart Mounsey, Environment Agency Flood Risk Manager for Cumbria, said:

We are pleased to be in a position to share the latest developments for managing future flood risk with the Carlisle community. We saw first-hand the devastating impact the floods of 2015 had on residents and businesses and we want to work really closely with the community to help reduce their impact in the future.

We are currently refining our preferred options, which gives us a great opportunity to further take on-board local knowledge and insight around proposals going forward. We would encourage everyone to come along to the drop-in session to learn more about our ongoing work, to contribute by sharing their views and thoughts on the plans and to see how they can continue to be involved as flood risk management recommendations develop.

Given the extent of works required in Carlisle, the city is being divided up in to different phases of work. We hope to submit the planning application for phase one in early 2019, with an aim to start work in summer 2019.

For those unable to attend the upcoming drop-in session, the information will also be available online following the event on the Cumbria Strategic Flood Partnership website. Anyone without access to a computer or smartphone at home can get online via computers at their local library.

Anyone with any comments on the plans should email CarlisleFRMS@environment-agency.gov.uk

Notes to Editors:

Residents at risk of flooding should always prepare in advance by going online at http://bit.ly/QEBvEJ and signing up for free flood warnings. Alternatively, they can telephone the Environment Agency Floodline on 0345 988 1188 and find out what they can do to protect themselves and their property when flooding hits.

It is also important to plan how you’ll respond to a flood. Visit https://www.gov.uk/prepare-for-flooding/future-flooding and use the template to make a personal or community wide flood action plan.

The community can find more information about funding flood risk management schemes at the Cumbria Strategic Flood Partnership website.