Infrastructure Minister Nichola Mallon has announced that the construction contract for the £5.1 million Shimna River Flood Alleviation Scheme has been awarded to Dawson WAM Ltd.

The project involves the construction of approximately 1430 metres of flood walls and embankments. It is anticipated that works will commence on site in the coming weeks.

The scheme has been planned and developed by the Department with the assistance of Consulting Engineers Aecom. Aecom will continue on behalf of the Department as the Project Manager to oversee the successful delivery by Dawson WAM Ltd.

Infrastructure Minister Mallon said: "I saw first-hand the devastation flooding caused in Newcastle on 25 August 2020 and made a commitment to do all I could to get this scheme on the ground. I am pleased to announce that the construction contract has been awarded to Dawson WAM Ltd and works will begin shortly to deliver this important flood alleviation scheme. The scheme will reduce flood risk to 312 homes and businesses in the area.

"I hope this brings some comfort and reassurance to people, particularly those who have suffered flooding and its devastating effects previously. Work is expected to take around 12 months to complete and in the meantime my Department will continue to work closely with the Regional Community Resilience Group (RCRG) to support the local community and enhance their resilience to severe weather events."

All work will be carried out in line with current health and safety regulations, with safe systems of working in place for staff and contractors.

The works will be programmed to minimise any inconvenience to the public, however, road users and pedestrians should take care in the vicinity of the works and be aware of construction traffic.

The Minister concluded: "I committed during my time as Minister to taking action to protect homes and businesses from flooding and I have followed through on this commitment by allocating £19 million in funding for flood alleviation schemes across the North in my 2021/22 budget, an increase of £11 million from last year. The commencement of this £5.1 million scheme in Newcastle is part of this and I look forward to seeing more schemes like this getting off the ground across the North that will make a real difference to people's lives."