Rotherham Council approves £15m plan to buy land for new flood defences
Plots in Whiston and Laughton Common are being bought up - both areas have been hit by major flooding in the past decade
Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council has approved a scheme to purchase six parcels of land as part of a £15 million plan to deliver major flood defence schemes in Whiston and Laughton Common.
The decision, made at a cabinet meeting on Monday (July 7), paves the way for two large-scale projects aimed at protecting hundreds of homes, roads and businesses from future flooding.
Five of the plots are located near Whiston Brook, with the sixth near Eel Mires Dike in Laughton Common. The land will be used to build new flood infrastructure, including reservoirs, wetlands and flow control systems.
If external funding is secured, construction on the Whiston Brook scheme could begin later this year, with completion expected in 2026. Work on the Laughton Common project is also progressing, with more land acquisitions expected in the coming months.
Both areas have suffered repeated and serious flooding in recent years. Whiston was hit again as recently as October 2023, while Laughton Common endured significant damage during the 2019 floods.
The Whiston Brook Flood Alleviation Scheme, which accounts for £4 million of the overall budget, will include the creation of new flood storage areas, watercourse improvement works, and surface water management interventions alongside the small brook that flows through Whiston.
The wider scheme is one of six flood alleviation priorities identified by the council and includes work at three main sites: a retaining wall at Worrygoose Lane, a flood storage reservoir, and an upsized culvert with a new wetland at Pinch Mill Brook.
The village has been affected by several serious flooding events, most recently in October 2023. During such events, the brook can back up where it meets the River Rother and Ulley Brook, triggering extensive flooding through the village centre and on roads such as Howarth Road and Long Lane.
Meanwhile, the Eel Mires Dike Flood Alleviation Scheme in Laughton Common will cost around £3 million and includes new flood storage areas, improvements to culverts and watercourses, and surface water management measures along and within the watercourses that flow through the area. This part of the project aims to address long-standing drainage issues and protect the community from flooding on the scale seen in 2019, when the area was badly hit.
Construction on the Whiston scheme could begin later this year, with completion expected in 2026. The Laughton Common project is also progressing, with further land acquisitions anticipated to support the delivery of the scheme.
Council Officers are now working to secure additional funding from sources including the Environment Agency.
If full funding cannot be secured immediately, the council said it could lease or sell the land in future to recover costs.