A NEW visitor centre to provide the latest information about the Kendal Flood Risk Management Scheme has opened its doors.

The opening comes in a week when it was confirmed that the huge scheme will cost approximately £72m, a significant increase on previous estimates,

The centre is located in The Fell Tarn shop of the first floor of the town's Westmorland Shopping Centre and will be open this Saturday and every Wednesday in October from 1pm to 5.30pm.

There are plans to extend the opening times of the information centre into November with details to be advised.

Displays, posters and visualisations of the scheme will be available for viewing and Environment Agency (EA) staff will be on hand to answer any questions and listen to any feedback or comments.

And on days when the centre is not fully open, the extensive window displays will remain in place for members of the public to view in their own time.

"We’d love people to pop in and see us and have a chat face-to-face to gather your feedback and talk through any concerns," said Stewart Mounsey, Environment Agency Flood Risk Manager for Cumbria.

“You can also find out about individual property level flood protection measures and we can talk about steps individuals can do to better protect their families and homes."

Included in the display are details of a competition to contribute some examples of 'street art' which it is planned will be incorporated in the scheme.

And in relation to the extensive replacement of trees which is incorporated in the scheme, EA officials said they will be holding a 'seed-planting day' at the centre, which will be aimed at youngsters and will be held during half term on Wednesday, October 23.

Full details of this and other updates on the flood defence scheme are available in the section marked 'Kendal' on the site www.thefloodhub.co.uk.