“We must work together to tackle the flooding issues that damaged 12 properties in Bembridge.”
That was the message from an Isle of Wight councillor after receiving a much-awaited flooding report.
Severe flooding
Following the severe flooding, one village resident had to move out of their home and was still living in temporary accommodation nine months later.
The Old Village Inn was also flooded and in some locations it reached around one foot deep and took up to ten hours to recede.
Damage has also been estimated to have cost between £11,000 and £100,000.
Robertson: Funding needed
Bembridge representative, Cllr Joe Robertson is asking for funding to be made available, equivalent to what has been promised to other areas, such as Binstead where £170,000 had been approved for mitigation works.
The council’s flood report detailed the stress and the disruption caused to residents, and the worry of future flooding resulting in anxiety, depression and loss of sleep.
Severe rainfall event
During the heavy rainfall last summer, one event, between 28th and 29th June, was classified as a severe rainfall event with only a two to five per cent chance of it happening within any year.
The rain caused surface water runoff above the capacity of the highway drainage and sewer networks, despite scheduled drainage maintenance having already taken place.
The report says the efficiency of the drainage system to intercept and convey flows was impeded by narrow in-kerb slot drains and blockages.
Gravel blocked drains
Gravel from village roads had been washed down into the drains, causing some of the blockages, but as they are unadopted, the council could not make any changes.
It is recommended the council look at a surface water management plan for the village, implementation of a property flood-resilience scheme and appraise the feasibility of providing rain gardens.
Robertson: Long time for report
Cllr Robertson welcomed the report, but said it took a long time to publish and the recommendations need to be implemented with greater urgency.
He said the council, Island Roads, Southern Water and others must now work together to resolve the unique issues.
He said,
“This report cannot be left to gather dust on a shelf while additional homes are plumbed into a drainage network that is not understood.”
Remove field from Island Plan
One field, which developers want for over 150 homes, has impermeable geology and should be taken out of the council’s 15-year land supply, said Cllr Robertson.
However, the report suggests further development in the village offers a way of mitigating the water run-off.
This article is from the BBC’s LDRS (Local Democracy Reporter Service) scheme, which News OnTheWight is taking part in. Some alterations and additions may have been made by OnTheWight. Ed
Image: howardlake under CC BY 2.0
