THE flood gates have opened on comments about plans to protect Northwich from environmental disaster.

The Environment Agency (EA) revealed its £4.5 million plans for a town centre flood prevention scheme at a two-day public consultation on Wednesday and Thursday.

Debra Thomson, project team manager for EA, said: “We’ve had quite a lot of people looking at the plans and the general feeling is really positive.

“People have said ‘why haven’t you started? Get going!”

Plans include embankments along Whalley Road to protect homes beyond from the River Dane, walls along the Dane and Weaver through the town centre and flood gates at either side of the bridge in Dane Street.

Some walls would be made of brick but those running through the centre would feature self cleaning glass panels so views of the river are not blocked, especially at Hayhurst Quay and Barons Quay.

A planning application for the scheme has to be submitted by the end of September so a decision can be made in time for work to start in early March.

If this deadline is not met then the EA will lose the government funding set aside for the project.

Debra said: “There are so many direct stakeholders and landowners that we’ve had constant contact with to talk through different options and come up with solutions.

“A good thing with this consultation is if people are concerned they have got the opportunity to feed back comments then we can go back to the drawing board to try something different.

“We haven’t much time to do it but the Bull Ring is a prime example where we will go back with an alternative.”

Plans for the riverbank behind the Bull Ring have proved controversial as the initial artist’s impression shows an imposing high wall.

Clive Steggel, from riverside business CRS Consultants, said: “I was quite amazed at it and am looking forward to seeing a revised plan.”

The River Weaver Navigation Society is also concerned about the plans.

Andrew Needham, from the group, said: “They’ve got to put in for planning permission fairly soon but have a few issues to resolve.

“We say there are other things that can be done to reduce flood risk in Northwich and we think they could be more creative.”