Home / Environment / £42M Scheme Boosts River Medway Flood Defences
£42M Scheme Boosts River Medway Flood Defences
29 Sep
Summary
- New flood defence scheme protects 1,870 homes and 575 businesses.
- Leigh Flood Storage Area capacity increased by 23%, holding 7.4m cubic metres.
- Scheme completed after three years, including an eel pass for protected species.
A significant £42 million flood defence scheme has been officially opened by the Environment Agency, aiming to protect 1,870 homes and 575 businesses between Tonbridge and Hildenborough. This vital upgrade will also benefit communities downstream along the River Medway, enhancing resilience against climate change impacts such as severe storms.
The capacity of the Leigh Flood Storage Area has been boosted by 23%, enabling it to store approximately 7.4 million cubic metres of floodwater. This improved capacity is equivalent to about 2,880 Olympic-sized swimming pools. The original storage area, operational since 1982, has been crucial in mitigating flood risks, having been activated 75 times between 1981 and summer 2026.
This extensive construction project spanned three years, during which the existing flood storage area remained fully functional. A notable addition to the scheme is an eel pass, constructed to facilitate the safe passage of eels, a protected species, through the defence system.
