Professor Dr Anusha Shah along with other senior representatives from the ICE and the Environment Agency (EA) visited the West Kirby Flood Alleviation Scheme to celebrate an iconic coastal scheme and the outstanding collaboration between Wirral Council, the EA, VolkerStevin and AECOM, in delivering a challenging, but fantastic scheme.

The day included a presentation from VolkerStevin, Wirral Council and Aecom on the development and delivery of the project, followed by a walk around the site.

The day concluded with the presentation of an EA Excellent Behaviour award for Marc Wood, VolkerStevin site agent on the West Kirby Scheme. Presented by Professor Dr. Anusha Shah, Mark won the award for going above and beyond, and managing various stakeholders on the scheme alongside his day job.

Officially opened in May by the Mayor Jeff Green, the newly constructed flood defence is helping to protect more than 20 businesses and 70 properties from flooding. As well as acting as a flood defence, the barrier contains seating, memorial and celebratory plaques, access points and crossing spaces. Adding value to surrounding areas was an important aspect of this scheme, social value days such as school visits were also held on site enabling the team to engage with the local community.

Mark Cronshaw, framework director for VolkerStevin, said: “The entire team have put so much hard work and effort into this scheme, they should be immensely proud of themselves. It is a shining example of how a truly collaborative approach can deliver successful outcomes.”

“The flood defences will help to protect the local community for years to come, whilst also enhancing the local area and bringing life back to the promenade.”