Lagoon plan ‘to make Hull one of Europe’s most exciting waterfront cities’

HULL: Plans for an ambitious £1.5 billion project to safeguard Hull from flooding and turn the area into “one of the most exciting waterfront cities in Europe” have been revealed.

It is hoped that, if realised, the plan would generate as many as 14,000 new jobs through the building of a new outer harbour and port facilities in the East Yorkshire city.

The project involves the building of an 11km relief road on the Humber Estuary, which would in turn create a lagoon providing a new destination for “waterfront living” and delivering flood protection to the city, the team behind the plan has said.

A study by the University of Hull has suggested that had such a lagoon been in place during the 2013 tidal surge, where hundreds of homes in the Humber region were hit by flood water, the city of Hull would have had 100 per cent protection.

The team running the project, Lagoon Hull, are hoping to “attract existing Government spending commitments which would be repurposed for the project” in order to make it possible. They said the cost of the project is estimated to be around £1.5bn, which would be met through public and private investment.

Karl Turner, the Labour MP for Kingston-upon-Hull East, said: “Lagoon Hull is the biggest, most ambitious project to have ever been devised in Hull and East Yorkshire. If realised, it is truly a game-changer for our region.

“Crucially, Lagoon Hull will protect people living and working in East Hull and across the region from coastal flooding and the worst effects of climate change.

“Therefore, this bold project must be supported.”

Emma Hardy, Labour MP for Hull West and Hessle, said the development “delivers on so much of what this region needs and will have a long-term impact far beyond the immediate flood prevention”.

Lord Haskins, the chairman of the Humber Local Enterprise Group, added: “The Humber region could be a shining example of how cities adapt themselves for a changing natural, economic and cultural world.

“The Lagoon Hull project would not just set the scene for the next century of investment and development in the region, it would make Hull one of the most exciting waterfront cities in Europe, possibly even the world.”

Research into the lagoon has been going on for three years, and the team are now looking to attain support to begin five to 10 years of further feasibility work for the project.

The building of the lagoon itself is then expected to take another five years, Lagoon Hull said. The idea is the brainchild of businessman Tim Rix, who said: “The Lagoon Hull project is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to transform the future of the region.

“It addresses the key challenges of today and unlocks our region’s potential for future economic growth, for place-making and creating a city and region where not only will young people want to stay and build their lives, but that attracts new and talented people to live and work.”