A multi-million pound scheme to protect hundreds of Edmonton homes from flooding has been waved through by Enfield Borough Council.

The £15million project headed by the Environment Agency aims to reduce flood risk in Edmonton after 192 homes were damaged when Salmons Brook burst its banks in October 2000.

In the event of heavy rain, excess flood waters will soon be stored upstream at Enfield Golf Club and Cheyne Walk Open Space in Enfield Chase through the creation of a grassed embankment across Salmons Brook.

The minor tributary of the River Lea runs from the west to the east of the borough through Enfield Golf Club.

The completed project will also see raised flood defences on both banks between Plevna Road and Montagu Road in Edmonton and a new flood storage area in Montagu Recreation Ground in case flooding occurs.

Speakers at the three-hour meeting at Nightingale Academy in Turin Road in Edmonton included representatives from the Environment Agency, Enfield Golf Club, a member of Grange Park Residents Association and a woman who narrowly escaped flooding when living in Montagu Road in 2000.

Concerns included the increased traffic resulting from the construction, which is expected to see 20 lorries travelling through the borough every day for 15 weeks.

Speakers also questioned if the work will benefit people living in the east of the borough to the detriment of people living in the west - where most of the work will taje place.

Enfield, Southgate MP David Burrowes, who was not at the meeting but sent a written statement, suggested the consultation scheme was complex and it should be delayed while more people are consulted.

He also asked why the council chose to host the meeting in the Edmonton school, rather than Enfield Civic Centre in Enfield Town, which may have encouraged more people to attend.

However, Edmonton MP Andy Love championed the scheme, saying it is a “major opportunity” for Enfield to receive a substantial investment and it is high time for the council to make a decision.

The work, which is due to start as soon as the terms of the contract are finalised, is expected to last up to a year at the golf club and 18 months in Salmons Walk and Montagu Recreation Ground.

It aims to reduce the flood risk of people living around Salmons Brook from once every 20 years to once in 75 years. 

The project will be funded by a combination of central Government Grant-in-Aid and a contribution from the Thames Regional Flood and Coastal Committee levy.