Matlock flood defence repair project wins civil engineering industry awards

The annual ceremony, on Friday, June 9, saw the Matlock project win merits in two out of the seven categories: small project – those budgeted under £2million – and team achievement, acknowledging the joint efforts of Jackson Civil Engineering, the Environment Agency, Derbyshire County Council and Derbyshire Dales District Council.

The awards judges were impressed both by the rapid engineering response and communications from all parties, which safeguarded the community and town centre from serious flooding.

John Tidy, contracts manager at Jackson, said: “We are proud of what we achieved in the hours and days after the wall collapsed. We were trusted to get the job done and worked closely with our partners, bringing our technical know-how to bear.

“Winning an award like this is wonderful. To get recognition from our colleagues and professional peers at the world’s oldest engineering body is a great honour.”

The rapid partnership response saved numerous homes and businesses from the rising River Derwent as Matlock was inundated by Storm Eunice in February 2022. When a section of the river wall collapsed it threatened to undermine the adjacent defences.

The Environment Agency called in Jackson Civil Engineering and the company implemented a solution within 36 hours which held until long-term rebuilding could begin.

Naomi Doughty, flood risk manager at the Environment Agency, said: “It’s a great honour for the project to be recognised by the Institution of Civil Engineers – a professional body with over 200 years track record of promoting civil engineering.

“We are grateful for the speed of response and creative problem-solving from our delivery partners and professional partners. The herculean team effort in the immediate aftermath of the storms and partnership approach ever since has enabled the flood defences to be reinstated at pace, which better protects the people of Matlock.”

As well as the engineering challenge, the partners had to develop effective relationships quickly and manage a complex logistical situation, such as closing main roads to allow a 150 tonne crane to move in, all while working late into the night in wet and windy conditions.

Julian Gould, highways director for Derbyshire County Council and chair of the local resilience forum response at the time, said: “Having experienced the ferocity of the flood events it was imperative to all that we continued the effective partnership response once the worst of the storm had past.

“None of us knew when the next storm would hit and it was essential to act fast. The wall collapse presented technical challenges from what would be achievable in a short space of time and we set out with the premise of the art of the possible.”

He added: “The logistical challenges of having Derbyshire’s main arterial highway the A6, one of Derbyshire’s main rivers the Derwent, and also the scheduled ancient monument of Matlock Bridge.

"The effective, now award-winning partnership that was formed to mount this response was a pleasure to be involved with. We played our part in securing the temporary flood resilience of Matlock and that is a testament to all involved.”

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