Decision

An emergency scheme at River Aire Retaining
Wall will be developed. Due to the urgency of the works, it will be
procured on an NEC4 Option E contract on the CECF 2021. The scheme
will be awarded to the highest ranked contractor on the framework
who registers an interest in the scheme.

The estimated cost of the works is difficult to pinpoint at this
early stage, as the full extent of the works has not been
quantified and a suitable design approach has not been selected,
however, in our experience, a repair such as this is likely to cost
in the region of £100k.

Reasons for the decision

On 2 October it was reported that a 4m section
of the retaining wall known as River Aire Retaining Wall collapsed.
The wall, which retains the A65 in Gargrave, is of drystone
construction, has a retained height of appx 4.2m and a total length
of appx. 225m. At the base of the wall is a watercourse known as
River Aire. Adjacent to the collapse, the wall is severely bulged
along a length of appx. 10m. Elsewhere, the wall appears in
generally in reasonable condition, though further inspections are
required. Dense vegetation is present along the entire length of
the wall which is obscuring inspection and causing damage. We
deduce that the failure was caused by a combination of tree roots,
and the wall being loaded beyond capacity.

Alternative options considered

NYC considered undertaking the works during
summer 2026, however, if the wall is left as is for an extended
period of time, in the event of a significant flood event, there is
the risk of fill washout from behind the wall which could lead to a
road closure. Given the nature of the watercourse and retained
height of the wall, a temporary repair to the wall is not
considered feasible.