Sheffield flood defence plan aims to protect hundreds of homes and railway station
“The impact of climate change means that this risk is likely to increase year on year.”
Last updated 23rd Sep 2026
A plan to stop flooding on two of Sheffield’s rivers and protect hundreds of homes and businesses has secured £4m funding.
Flood defences planned by Sheffield City Council for the Rivers Sheaf and Porter aim to better protect 370 city homes and 250 businesses and major infrastructure including the main railway station.
The project is looking at what flood defences are needed for the following areas:
The stretch of the River Sheaf running from the city centre at Lady’s Bridge to Millhouses, plus areas of Dore;
The River Porter running from the city centre at the main railway station up to Bingham Park and Whiteley Woods.
A meeting of the council’s finance and performance policy committee yesterday (September 21) approved a budget of £1.2m, made up of an Environment Agency grant and £2.8m from South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority.
This is being used to continue producing a business case for
Environment Agency and other outside funding to enable delivery of the full project.
Finance officer Damian Hopkinson told the committee that the cost of such a scheme is likely to run into tens of millions of pounds.
Part of the work taking place will aim to produce an up-to-date forecast of what the work would cost by putting together more detailed models of what needs to be done.
A report to the committee said: “There is currently a significant risk of flooding to areas of the city which this project aims to address.
“The impact of climate change means that this risk is likely to increase year on year.”