“Another key milestone has been achieved to better protect local communities and businesses.” That was Mark Adams, the Environment Agency’s local client lead, as the agency confirmed on 4 December 2025 that year three of works at Stallingborough has wrapped up, with final fixes due in 2026.

The scheme, running between Immingham and Grimsby on the south bank of the Humber, began in 2023 and is designed to cut tidal flood risk to homes, industry and nationally important kit along the South Humber Bank. According to the Environment Agency, 2,300 properties are now better protected; that rises to 2,400 once everything is finished next year, with the defences planned to stand up to climate pressures for at least 25 years.

Engineers have focused on two main jobs: laying rock armour along exposed sections of sea wall and refurbishing four outfalls that drain land behind the defences into the estuary. In 2024, crews installed granite along 3km of frontage to soak up wave energy and drastically reduce overtopping. This year they’ve closed small gaps around pipelines and improved access routes to the outfalls so inspections and maintenance aren’t a struggle in bad weather.

Contractors working on earlier phases report almost 90,000 tonnes of rock armour have gone in across the project since 2023, much of it shipped by barge into Immingham before being placed on the revetments. The remainder of the 4.5km line has seen targeted repairs where wave loads are lower, keeping costs sensible while raising the overall standard of protection.

There’s a clear plan for the final push in 2026. The Environment Agency says crews will install a new overflow on Oldfleet Drain and connect it to Middle Drain pumping station to ease upstream pressures, alongside further resilience upgrades to outfalls elsewhere on the frontage.

Nature safeguards have been baked in. Work pauses each year from October to March to protect overwintering birds on the Humber, and a new bee bank for the protected sea aster mining bee is already attracting nesting insects on site. It’s practical conservation that sits alongside heavy civil engineering, not afterthoughts.

Starting a year early, in 2023, has mattered. The Environment Agency estimates that moving fast saved around £5m by beating inflated rock prices and securing temporary storage. Overall, the scheme cost is about £33m, with the agency stressing that getting ahead of inflation has also meant earlier benefit for neighbours and local firms.

The economic case is blunt. The agency puts the long-term economic benefits at roughly £1.1bn over the next 25 years through unlocked development land, a power station being built, and stronger protection for highways, rail stations and utilities. That’s growth rooted in flood risk being managed, not wished away.

Local momentum backs that up. Associated British Ports has brought forward plans for automotive storage on its Stallingborough Interchange site to support Immingham and Grimsby, while skills investment at CATCH in Stallingborough-part-funded by Humber Freeport-aims to train the workforce needed for clean industry across the Energy Estuary. Together, these moves show why reliable defences matter for jobs as much as they do for peace of mind at high tide.

For residents and employers along the South Humber Bank, this is steady, delivery-focused work rather than fanfare. As Adams put it, once complete in 2026 the project will better protect 2,400 properties for at least a quarter of a century. On a coast that knows the cost of storm surges, that’s the kind of progress people can measure in dry floors, open roads and confident investment.