Toddbrook costs soar to £37.6 millions

THE costs associated with repairing Toddbrook reservoir (Toddbrook—the details) continue to mount, reports Allan Richards.

In November the Canal & River Trust (CaRT) board of trustees approved the spend of an additional £5.2 million to cover delivery of the main construction phase which is already under way.

Total approved spend now stands at a staggering £37.6 million.

Projected spend 10m

CaRT’s first cost estimate was made in July 2020, a year after the failure. It was widely reported.

The projected spend was £10m with the repair taking three years (Toddbrook Reservoir will cost £10m to repair).

In March 2021, the trust shared its 'permanent repair plan' stating that costs would be between £12-16m. An exact figure of £15m was given in September 2022 with CaRT saying the works would be complete in late 2024, some four and a half years after Toddbrook’s spillway failed.

£10m vs £15m v £37.6m

It would appear that the figure of £15m given by CaRT last September does not include costs incurred up to that date. Those costs would include engineering work already undertaken but also the cost of ensuring that the reservoir is kept safe.

Perhaps CaRT will update its webpage 'Restoring Toddbrook Reservoir' to reflect the true cost to date and final cost.

An explanation as to why costs have risen from £10m to £37.6m in two and a half years would also be welcome!