Decision details

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.

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.

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.