One month to fix flood defence problems at Shoreham riverside development

During a meeting of the planning committee on Monday (July 5), members agreed that a Breach of Conditions notice should be issued to WN Developments Ltd in relation to Mariners Point, in Brighton Road.

Permission for the 132 flats on the former Parcelforce site was given in 2012 and work is almost complete.

But a report to the committee said the council had received complaints from residents about a number of issues, mainly relating to the flood defence work and the quality of the landscaping.

The report said: “Following those complaints, the Environment Agency visited the site and noted a number of issues with the design of flood defence measures installed at the site which required urgent attention.”

Those issues included water running under an incorrectly installed floodgate to the basement car park, a hole cut in the flood wall to allow pedestrians to get from the front car park to the rear of the building, and water seeping between the flood wall and a 300mm extension built on top of it.

Ward members Kevin Boram said he hoped the notice would serve as a sign that the council would ‘not tolerate this sort of standard in other developments’, adding: “I hope that it sets the standard we require from other property developers within Adur.”

Mr Boram said that he was saddened that the notice was even needed, saying the developer should have carried out the work ‘off their own backs’.

As well as the problems with the flood defences, the issue of landscaping was raised.

A report to the committee said: “It is clear that planting which has been carried out to date at the rear of the site is not as extensive as initially proposed, although it is not substantially different from the preliminary landscaping plan.”

One resident wasn’t quite so restrained in his description, calling the landscaping carried out at the site ‘a travesty’ and describing it as ‘an arid brown desert’ covered in ‘poor-quality pea shingle’.

WN Development Ltd have been approached for comment.