Provisional £3.6 Million Funding For Upton Flood Defences

9.44.00am BST (GMT +0100) Thu 17th Jul 2008

West Worcestershire's Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidate, Richard Burt today welcomed the Environment Agency announcement of a provisional government grant of £3.6 million for flood defences in Upton that could result in a scheme being built within the next two years.

Funding is subject to government acceptance of a detailed business plan that must draw up within the next six months. More site investigations are necessary to determine likely construction costs for the scheme, which will cover the Waterfront and New Street areas of the town.

Richard Burt said: "This is great news for Upton. Without solid community support throughout the consultation stages, this bid would have been dead in the water.

"The provisional grant will be subject to a final business plan. Protection for Hanley Road residents is still a possibility, but it would be dependent on additional support from Worcestershire County Council."