Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Gilberdyke Flood Relief Scheme latest

Over many months since the flooding of 2007 Gilberdyke Parish Council along with residents, engineers from the East Riding of Yorkshire Council, consultants Mason Clark Associates and the Lower Ouse Internal Drainage Board worked to put together a comprehensive flood relief scheme for the village. The scheme is in three phases with the Parish Council responsible for funding the 1st phase through a £80,000 public works loan, which was approved earlier in the summer.

(Pictured with Gilberdyke Parish Councillor John Jessop)

Needless to say after many hours of work by many people, last week this project to prevent future flooding in Gilberdyke was effectively stopped, because consent to allow access to the dyke into which a new 900mm diameter culvert is to be installed was being denied by three residents. This was subsequently detailed in the article published in the Goole Times Thursday 2nd December 2010.

The Lower Ouse Drainage Board (LOIDB) had worked with the Parish Council to obtain the consent from residents to access the existing dyke running at the rear of their properties on Scalby Lane and Chestnut Drive. The final deadline for this consent was noon on Friday 19th November, to allow the work to commence the following Monday.

The Parish Council held an extra ordinary meeting where it was agreed to pay for any damage caused by gaining access to the dyke over the one key property on Scalby Lane, it had previously been resolved to precept an amount each year to contribute to the maintenance and cleaning of the new culvert. Sadly this was not enough to satisfy the key householder. The deadline passed and the contractors who were due to start the work on 22nd November were stood down as the required consent from the one key householder in particular, plus his two sons who live in two different properties had not been forthcoming.

The Parish Council then held another extra ordinary meeting with the only item on the agenda being how the essential flood prevention work could be progressed. The key householder and one of his sons who had also not given consent, along with three residents whose homes were flooded in 2007 attended. The Parish Council agreed to give the key householder and his family one more opportunity to give their unconditional consent for access for the duration of the work, and gave Friday 26th November as the new deadline.

An email was received on 25th November from the key resident indicating that he was willing give his consent in writing and would speak to his sons to persuade them to give their consent too.

Again the revised deadline passed with no written consent from the three householders, and the Parish Council was left with no option but to put the scheme on hold.

The parish council also held a Parish Surgery on Saturday 27th November 2010 in the Common Room on Scalby Lane. Many of the concerns raised by the residents who called in were regarding the flood prevention work and much anger expressed as to why it has stalled at such a late stage.

Thankfully on the morning of Friday 3rd December the key householder delivered his signed letter along with similar letters from his sons to the Lower Ouse Internal Drainage Board offices, giving access across their properties. Ironically this was the day after the Goole Times published the article.

The Parish Council has held discussions and been able to renegotiate the Public Works loan, and also informed the contractor that the work can now go ahead. The Council is looking at the work starting on this much needed flood prevention scheme as soon as weather conditions allow, and hoping along with residents that a rapid thaw does not occur to cause further flooding.

I am pleased that common sense has prevailed and I look forward to seeing the work completed as soon as possible.

1 comment:

Wet feet 2007 said...

To anonymous - I believe that there is only one adjacent resident who has not given consent so either you are the occupier of xxx Scalby Lane whos identity is probably already widely known, or you are not an adjacent resident anyway. That single reluctant resident must be very proud of himself!
Suffice it to say that the new pipe is sized in accordance with a design by professionals based on the catchment area served.
Basic arithmetic for a 1 metre (40") diameter pipe fed from an existing 36" diameter pipe, plus the new 12" diameter pipe shows there to be sufficient spare capacity in the new pipe to accomodate a second 12" pipe feed if required.
We have had more than enough misinformation spouted by instant experts without a clue so please either back up your comment with some verifiable facts or stop trying to score cheap points. The project is going ahead as the critical owners have now agreed access in writing and the contractor only awaits the weather. Its a real pity that the pointless delays caused the planned dates to slip as they did.