I would like to thank the Gilberdyke residents who supported and worked with the Parish Council as part of the Flood Action Group, in applying pressure on the Lower Ouse Internal Drainage Board, the East Riding of Yorkshire Council and Network Rail to carry out long overdue maintenance work. The organisations cooperated and have undertaken a considerable amount of work to dykes and drains, both inside and outside the village, for the first time in many, many years. These works continue, but those already completed provide significant improvement.The Parish Council then obtained some £7,800 of Government funding through the East Riding of Yorkshire Council (ERYC), which was used to commission an investigation and produce an independent report into the flooding, identifying particular problem areas, and providing recommendations.
This report was used by the ERYC to identify the most important works required in Gilberdyke, and subsequently the funding of up to £85k has been made available to fund 3 notional schemes in the village. These schemes are at present being designed and include; approximately £20k to facilitate de-silting and investigation of the drainage on Westbrook Crescent, £25k to be used to improve the critical riparian watercourse between Scalby Lane and Far Drain, and £40k to re-cut and pipe other ditches at various locations in the village. This will improve the drainage and help prevent a repetition of the 2007 floods.
The East Riding of Yorkshire Council has been working with the Lower Ouse Internal Drainage Board (LOIDB) to survey the existing dykes within Gilberdyke and this work is now almost complete. The next step is for drawings to be produced detailing the options, which will then be put to the Flood Action Group before the end of December 2009. Further public consultation will then be carried out in the very early part of the New Year before the work starts. This work is envisaged to be substantially completed before the beginning of March 2010 when Habitat Regulations 1994 prevent further major work being carried out until September.
The ERYC and its partners have undertaken other similar schemes to Gilberdyke elsewhere in the East Riding since 2007. Some of these schemes have only recently been completed, due mainly to the complexity of the issues involved. The Council will continue to work with its partners to reduce the risk of flooding in the future.
The ERYC will out of courtesy contact the riparian owners of the watercourses to obtain consent prior to work commencing, it is hoped that no objections will be forthcoming, and the householders who have piped dykes running behind their properties allow the work to be carried out without delay.
4 comments:
I really do hope that the ERYC/LOIDB "substantial completion" means exactly what it says and the critical dyke between Scalby Lane and Chestnut Drive is urgently restored to its correct capacity In the 1950s it was said to be 6 foot wide at the top and 3 foot wide at the bottom behind 6 Scalby Lane, and ran down hill all the way into Bishopsoil Drain. Similarly important to protect Westbrook Road is the filled in dyke running through the back gardens of Belasize Park adjoining Westbrook Road.
It is vital that the Scalby/Chestnut drain is open before Bellasize or a future downpour would exacerbate the Westbrook victims problems by routing water heading for but unable to reach Bishopsoil Drain into their area.
I think it is entirely fair to say that IF the Lower Ouse Drainage Board had not simply ceased their voluntary cleansing of the Scalby/Chestnut Dyke in the 1980s and IF various residents had been pulled up/prosecuted about filling in or inadequately piping dykes then much of the flood damage caused would have been averted.
As you are aware Paul, being one of those councillors targetted by one individual who was caught out having put two bits of 12" pipe in as a culvert instead of a 3 foot diameter one, some riparian owners may need enforcement action taking against them if they hinder the projected works. Let us hope that LOIDB use their powers if this is the case. Any reluctance would of course cost money to resolve and eat into the available funds, thus a hoped for projected culvert may have to be substituted by simply recutting an open drain!
We keep hearing about plans but so far the main blockage is still there. If the council put a culvert in behind Chestnut Drive the bloke who put in gas pipe which is a major problem and the digging out of other parts which have been ignored by the owners for years are going to get the correction work paid for out of our taxes. It doesn't seem fair or justice does it? They do wrong and we pay for it - sounds like labour policy.
This morning 3rd December 2009 there was a team jetting out and conducting a camera survey of the piped drain from the manhole in the West side of Station Road to the brick culvert behind 7 Westbrook, also the pipe from the same manhole Northwards towards the 3 foot pipe under the footpath of Scalby Lane North side.
Recently the Highways dept had had the pipe crossing Westbrook Crescent jetted out. The team had run the jetter Northwards from there through the pipe under the back gardens of Bellasize but encountered a soild blockage some litle distance along. The highways team were not commissioned to jet the riparian drain so did not proceed further. I hope that the highways team information is conveyed to the drainage department but with the apparent lack of joined up thinking in ERYC perhaps you will ensure this takes place please Paul?
Well - its now the 22nd of December and as far as I know nothing has materialised from the ERYC regarding the dyke clearance plans. No doubt the Christmas break precludes any action before January now. Are we seeing yet another failure of relevant public servants to move on this matter? IF we get flooded again this June because of failure to respond in a timely manner heads must roll.
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