Stockport Council has put forward new plans to tackle the persistent flooding that has plagued the A555 Airport Relief Road, a key route to Manchester Airport, causing repeated disruption for drivers. The road, which opened in 2018, has faced 'longstanding challenges' with flooding during heavy rainfall, leading to full closures and significant inconvenience.
Background of Flooding Issues
Since its opening, the A555 has experienced flooding during periods of prolonged and intense rainfall, with a particularly serious incident in July 2019. A subsequent review identified several issues, and remedial works were carried out. However, due to the wider landscape, the road has continued to flood despite these measures.
On New Year's Eve and New Year's Day (2024-2025), the borough saw 'widespread flooding and disruption' when a month's worth of rainfall fell in a matter of hours, and several rivers recorded record water levels. The A555 was completely closed to traffic, and icy floodwaters had to be broken up by hand because gritting was ineffective.
Council's Response and Recent Works
In a new report, the council stated: "Consistent with findings elsewhere across the borough, the flooding was not attributed to routine maintenance failures but instead reflected the exceptional rainfall intensity and the inability of drainage systems to discharge normally during periods of extreme river levels."
After this, the council explored further measures, and interventions to improve drainage around Woodford were completed in July this year. Drainage from the Highfield Parkway housing estate and Woodford's Recreation Ground was diverted into Spath Brook.
Next Stage: Pump Upgrades at Hall Moss Lane
In a report presented to Stockport councillors on August 3, council officers said: "The next stage of work is to undertake improvements to pumping infrastructure serving the A555 at Hall Moss Lane to increase the overall pump capacity, with the works planned to start later this year."
The requirement for these upgrades was identified following on-site testing, which confirmed that the discharge rate from the pumps was significantly less than the green field run off rate for the catchment area, resulting in the pump station becoming overwhelmed during periods of heavy and prolonged rainfall.
"These works include replacement of existing pump equipment and increasing pumping capacity to improve the rate at which water can be removed from the highway drainage system during extreme weather events," the report added.
Future Improvements to Pond Capacity
Looking ahead, the local authority said: "In the coming year, the council is looking at improvements to the pond capacity at the Oil terminal gyratory pond."
"Following the downstream improvements at the Hall Moss Lane pump station, it is proposed to increase the discharge rate from the ponds. An increase in discharge rate will reduce the drain-down time and allow for more flow to reach the pumping station outside of the critical storm event. This will mitigate the issue of the pond overtopping during periods of prolonged and heavy rainfall," they added.
Resident Concerns and Other Council Business
At the meeting, Anne Nerney raised concerns about flooding at Spath Brook and Spath Lane, fearing that diverted water into the 'small undredged brook' could create issues. She asked the council for reassurance that 'my home will be safe and any future developments will not worsen this'. Councillors said they had passed the matter onto their planning team.
At the same meeting, councillors also approved plans to upgrade Bramhall High School. This partial redevelopment looks to address issues caused by ageing buildings built with concrete that is prone to collapsing without warning.
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