Floods

[jdouds]

Watching the news this morning it is obviously heart breaking for many people with current floods.
The question is why is there still building being allowed on flood planes throughout the country.
Flood defences have been built in many places but again in many respects this just moves the problem to somewhere else

[Mr Tom Morrow]

As you say a ridiculous idea to build on flood plains. Also I read somewhere of the problems that have arisen since they stopped the regular dredging and clearing out of rivers every year.

With storms getting worse decisions need to be made but with an ever growing population and thus pressure for housing and a lack of cash to dredge I don't know the answer.

[sam7]

I agree. We bought a new build in 2000. The builders had put in a balancing lagoon and pumps in the drains, so in the event of flooding the pumps would pump excess water into what was basically an empty lake. It was a bit confusing as we lived on a hill and would never have flooded (The whole of north Kent would have had to flood first). But I have never seen this being done for other new builds.

[EssexSue]

The M25 crosses a flood plain here making several football pitches unusable for months at a time.

[Colette-S]

There are lots of properties flooded around here and people forced from their homes in the Warrington area. 2 months of rain in 2 days plus a load of snow. We are quite high here so it won’t get us but it’s upsetting to see those local families with their homes destroyed

[catherinesian]

At our last house we lived opposite a large area of greenbelt land originally landscaped by Capability Brown. Farmers used to graze their cows and it was a lovely area to walk in. The fields every year used to flood and the farmers would move their cattle to the higher fields.

They then applied to build an estate there. We and a few other residents vehemently objected to the application but as the local council owned the land surprise surprise it was granted. We moved house before they finished the estate.

Surprise surprise this morning houses on the estate are flooded, and are now without mains water too. On the thread, countless complaints about the build quality of the estate and people saying they should never have build there. Well, I am one of a few that have a clear conscience as we really tried to stop it. I really want to hold a huge sign up to the smug development manager that told me to my face it would never flood saying "I TOLD YOU SO". Still angers me to this day. Still, I am sure the greedy fat cats that made money are blissfully unaware in one of their 5 houses

[Moorlandman]

Getting up at 4am to milk the cows or sell your field to a developer for £1m - I can see why they do it.

[disney_l81]

We had floods in the village in December- houses that have never flooded- they are investigating but it's no coincidence that Taylor Wimpey just started building 500 houses on a field behind the houses that flooded. Apparently inadequate drainage is the culprit- now the council, Welsh water and Taylor Wimpey all at odds over whose problem it is. Feel so sorry for anyone affected by the flooding.

[Moorlandman]

Both the developer and the council would have received a report from Welsh water regarding the flood risk before any development proceeds/gets permission.

Normally means both the council and builder are off the hook for flooding.

[Moorlandman]

Remember a stream can become a river if the farmer upstream invests in drainage!