Little Common flood risk - "plans are in hand"

A worried householder has used Cllr Maynard's Ask The Leader slot on the www.rother.gov.uk website to press for action.

The questioner asks: "Can you tell me what plans there are (if any) to rectify the flooding at Little Common Recreation Ground car park?

"I am unfortunate enough to live in a house whose garden floods every time it rains heavily due to the amount of water that cascades from the fields down my garden path.

"When the new pavilion was built we were assured that the drainage problem had been solved. However this is not the case and myself and my neighbour are fed up with having to phone for sandbags every time it rains heavily.

"Mr Rushforth at Beeching Road seems unable to tell me the long term plan. It is not ideal having the sandbags as unfortunately the local children think it is fun to throw them around and dismantle the barricade that they form.

"I appreciate that it is not ideal to push too much water into the stream which runs at the front of our houses as this only adds to the height of the flood at the front.

"However this matter needs to be addressed urgently. To date the water has not entered our homes but who knows if or when it will?

"Perhaps the council would like to pay the cost of wellies for us all and then forget about the matter entirely. That would surely be cheaper than constantly attending to place and remove sandbags?"

The leader says: "We are currently preparing the tender documents for a drainage scheme at the Little Common Recreation Ground and we hope that work can be started this Spring.

"This should improve matters but our work with the Environment Agency to assess all the surrounding land areas shows that the capacity of the local drainage courses are exceeded following heavy rainfall.

"Of course this water naturally discharges from higher ground to low ground and streams. Unfortunately we are not permitted to simply install drainage that will divert the water further 'downstream' but hope that our scheme will be able to hold a volume of water before it is discharged slowly.

"I would ask you to note that this is an increasingly widespread issue for people to face as ground conditions across the UK come under pressure to hold and discharge water.

"Although the council will always do what it can to help residents to cope with these potential flooding situations we have to urge residents to consider how their own households are defended and whether household flood defences are needed.

"Flooding is very distressing and it is beyond the power of the Council to resolve all local flood risks."