Yorkshire Water has modified its plans to upgrade the spillway at a Marsden reservoir.
Residents have been angry at the plans to concrete the spillway at Butterley Reservoir.
Yorkshire Water has now agreed to make concessions that it says will cost over £1m more.
Concrete will still be used, but it will be stained, and traditional stones will be used in the scheme. The spillway walls will also be made higher using stone from the site.
The new planning application to Kirklees Council from Yorkshire Water states: “The revised plans will see us going well beyond what we’re required to do, with the extra changes costing an additional £1.2m, taking the overall cost of the scheme to nearly £6m.
“These changes include re-using the masonry from the spillway to clad its outside walls, staining the concrete floor of the spillway on completion, stepping the spillway every 300mm, re-using the existing coping stones and taking a mould of the old wall to ensure that the new one blends in as much as possible.”
Yorkshire Water says the new spillway scheme is necessary to ensure the Colne Valley village is never flooded.
The original scheme, which was mainly to simply concrete over the spillway, met with resistance from campaigners and Colne Valley MP Jason McCartney who had wanted it left intact.
Now, after tests revealed the spillway’s walls are in better state than first thought, the company has said it intends to build on top of the existing walls rather than re-enforcing them with concrete.
A Yorkshire Water spokesman said: “Yorkshire Water is seeking to amend its current planning application regarding vital improvements to its Butterley spillway to ensure it remains safe.
“The decision follows ongoing consultation with the local community and recent investigation work by the company which revealed that the spillway walls are in a better condition than first thought.
“As a result, the company is proposing to leave the current walls intact and instead raise their height, utilising locally sourced stone, in order to ensure they are best able to deal with greater flows.
“The company is committed to ensuring the existing structure is kept as intact as possible whilst ensuring that residents of Marsden remain protected from the risk of dam failure.”
Community Engagement Manager John Bond added: “Over the last 18 months we’ve extensively consulted with local residents and stakeholders to try and ensure that we have a solution that is not only safe but one that also protects and preserves the existing structure as much as possible.
“Whilst our plans are still being finalised, the fact that we’ve made these amendments demonstrates that we have been listening and we’re committed to continuing our ongoing dialogue with all interested parties.
“The company now expects its application to be considered by Kirklees Council in November.”
Colne Valley MP, Jason McCartney, said he had met with Yorkshire Water boss Richard Flint earlier at the Conservative Party Conference in Manchester after raising the matter in parliament.
He said: “It really is an iconic Victorian structure and we want them to bend over backwards to find a way to keep it that way.
“If they’ve managed to find a way that will be very welcome – even if it costs more – as, after all, this is a company making millions in profits.
“It sounds very promising but we will wait to see the revised plans.”
For more information, visit: yorkshirewater.com/Butterley