Residents at high risk of flooding in Hove and Portslade could soon benefit from measures provided by the council to reduce flood risk to their homes.
Brighton & Hove City Council has been working to secure funding for the installation of flood doors, gates or automatic air brick covers that will act automatically to shut out water in the event of surface water flooding caused by heavy rainfall.
Sixty-three homes will benefit from the scheme. Residents in Hove and Portslade have experienced repeated instances of surface water flooding as a result of heavy rainfall and in the summers of 2014 and 2015 more than 100 properties were affected.
Councillor Gill Mitchell, chair of the environment, transport and sustainability committee, said: “It is devastating to have your home and belongings ruined as a result of flooding so we are pleased to be able to offer some practical improvements that will help reduce flood risk to residents’ homes.
“Up until now we have tried to lessen the effects with sandbags, but they are only partially effective and not at all if you don’t get them in place in time, so having flood resilience measures on people’s homes will make a big difference.”
Brighton & Hove City Council arranged for surveys in each property to find out what would work best in each home. The authority won just over a quarter of a million pounds (£253,000) from the Southern Regional Flood and Coastal Committee Local Levy for installing the flood protection measures.
The council will fund the remaining £177,000 of the £430,000 project. The Environment Agency recently approved the business case for the scheme.
According to the Agency, Brighton & Hove is one of 10 flood risk areas in the country where there are more than 30,000 people at risk of flooding.
Councillors at the environment, transport and sustainability committee on 20 March will be asked to give the go ahead to procure an experienced flood contractor for the installation.