Proposals approved by Council

Southampton City Council has approved a series of recommendations regarding the River Itchen Flood Alleviation Scheme (RIFAS) to reduce the risk of flooding on the west bank of the River Itchen.

At a Full Council meeting on 17 November 2021, councillors agreed to the recommendations that outlined a mix of setback (behind existing buildings) and frontline (next to the water’s edge) flood risk infrastructure.

The scheme will be mainly funded by the Environment Agency, however Councillors also approved the proposal to contribute £10.2m towards the scheme to bridge the funding gap and to replace the quay wall at Drivers Wharf. The £10.2m will mostly be made up of Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) payments, which are funds collected from developers when there is a need to build additional infrastructure as a result of the development.

The approval means the project team can progress the outline scheme design which will be subject to planning permission in due course.