Construction has started on a £13 million flood alleviation scheme in Skinningrove, with the Environment Agency and Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council working on a project due to be completed in 2028.
The scheme is intended to provide a long-term response to flooding from Skinningrove Beck and protect more than 100 homes. Planning permission was granted by Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council in February 2026.
At present, the Environment Agency uses manually controlled flood gates and demountable parapets at Stone Row Bridge when high water levels are forecast. Officials said the beck can rise quickly and with little warning, meaning defences can have to be operated at short notice and sometimes remain closed for extended periods.
Those closures can cut off vehicle access for residents of Zetland Row and Grove Hill. The new scheme will remove Stone Row Bridge, its flood gates and parapets, and replace it with a new bridge between New Company Row and Zetland Row, beside the Riverside Building, the village’s former school.
The deck of the replacement bridge will be higher than the existing flood walls, so flood gates will no longer be needed. The Environment Agency said residents would then have 24-hour vehicle access to their homes regardless of conditions in the beck.
Work on the new bridge is scheduled to run from September 2026 to late 2027, including piled foundations and abutments on both sides of the beck before the structure is lifted into place by crane. A temporary access road will be provided for Grove Hill residents during construction.
Demolition of Stone Row Bridge and infilling of existing flood walls are due between December 2027 and early 2028. The works compound will be on the recreation ground between Mill Lane and the brook, where the play park is to be restored with improved equipment after completion.