Hartlepool Approves £25m Teesside Flood Defence Scheme

Hartlepool Borough Council has approved a £25m Environment Agency flood defence scheme on Teesside, clearing the way for roughly two years of construction starting early in 2027.

The Greatham North East Flood Alleviation Scheme will see a new 1.5km flood embankment built around Greenabella Marsh before sections of the existing defence are deliberately breached.

BAM Nuttall is positioned to deliver the works. The Environment Agency has already brought the contractor onto the project for early supplier engagement, although a full main works award has yet to be publicly confirmed.

The scale of the earthmoving is substantial. Around 129,000 cubic metres of clay is expected to be excavated from Environment Agency-owned land at Marsh House Farm to build the new embankment. The resulting excavation will then be converted into a saline lagoon as part of extensive habitat creation works.

Repairs will also be carried out to the existing Greatham Creek embankment. The overall scheme is designed to improve flood protection for nationally important industrial sites and infrastructure around the Tees estuary.

The project forms part of the wider £30m Tees Tidelands Programme, which combines flood defence upgrades with the restoration of intertidal and river habitats.

The condition of the existing defences drove the scheme. According to the Environment Agency, structural investigations found the Greenabella and Greatham Creek embankments in poor condition. Both were built largely from industrial slag boulders dating back to the late 19th century and are difficult to maintain.

Construction is expected to get underway in early 2027 once remaining licences and consents are secured. Until then, the main works contract remains to be formally awarded.