Boston Barrier delayed by four years and forecast to cost £60m more than first thought, new report states

This is according to a new report by the National Audit Office, the UK’s independent public spending watchdog.

It refers to the Boston Barrier while noting how attempts to accelerate flood resilience projects generally have increased costs and delays.

This was done in Boston in order to meet a target for the number of homes better protected between 2015 and 2021, the report says.

“It was accelerated in a phased way so that the 13,000 properties that were better protected by March 2021 could be counted towards the target,” it notes. “To get to the contract stage sooner, all approvals, consents and assurance on the project were done in parallel and the main design and build contract was awarded before the scope had been finalised.”

The original contractual completion date was September 2020, the report notes. The primary gate was declared fully operational in December 2020, but elements of the scheme remain incomplete.

“The scheme is now delayed by more than four years with cost increases approved in February 2023 from £124m to £184m, due to a contractual dispute, scope changes and an insufficient allowance for optimism bias,” it continued.

According to the report, the Environment Agency (EA) told the National Audit Office that some of this over-spend represented costs that were not identified earlier because of the speed at which the business cases were developed.

Speaking to The Standard this week, an EA spokesman said: “The need for a tidal flood barrier in Boston was deemed a priority by Government so the Environment Agency took the decision to start working on the project before it had been fully designed. This meant the first phase of the scheme was delivered faster, protecting 13,700 homes and businesses.

“The design process for phase two of the scheme has been extended due to its unique and complex nature, including work taking place on an active shipping port.

“The flood defences we are constructing will further protect 526 properties and will keep Boston flood resilient for the next 100 years. So it’s imperative the works are completed in the right way, are technically correct, and are value for money.”

​The spokesman added that the 526 homes are located on the left bank of the river, behind the Port of Boston estate.

“The tidal flood risk to those properties is currently no different than it is for the rest of the town,” they continued. “The second phase of works will just ensure those properties are better protected from future climate change.”