Gilberdyke unaffected by record April rains

Gilberdyke survived the one of wettest Aprils in the last 100 years without witnessing the flooding of the past.  The month saw just less than 150mm of rain, making it the wettest since the summer floods of 2007 – and wetter than the five preceding months all added together. The Parish Council funded Phase One (of three) drainage culvert performed as designed, with the surface water from a large section of the village running away into Far Drain and on to the river.  This relieved the pressure on the existing systems in the village ensuring residents didn’t see a repeat of the flooding experienced previously with no houses being affected, and no problems reported.

Phase Two of the drainage culvert running between the gardens of Scalby Lane and Greenacre Park, and under Station Road is now approaching completion. This East Riding of Yorkshire Council funded section has not been without hiccups, with a short piece of the road subject to traffic light control, wet conditions delaying progress and the water pumped from the excavation onto the road highlighting the blockages in the road gullies.  The contractors have constructed a manhole in the road to allow the remaining phase three section of culvert, running behind the properties on Westbrook Road, to be connected to the system.

The final Phase Three section is to start almost immediately, but is not as straight forward as one would imagine, although having spoken to the contractors they are confident of being able to undertake the work efficiently, with the minimum of disruption and restore the gardens back to their present condition.  Obstacles such as garden sheds, garages and fish ponds will have to be either avoided or removed and replaced after the culvert has been installed. On speaking to residents the issue of greatest concern is the lack of communication by the East Riding of Yorkshire Council.  I certainly feel an amount of inconvenience for a relatively short period of time is a small price to pay for the peace of mind of Westbrook Road and Station Road residents, and all those flooded in the village during June 2007.

The £1.5 million scheme to widen the dykes from Gilberdyke down to the river, install a new cross dyke and a pumping station at Blacktoft is still progressing through the Environment Agency’s long and somewhat complicated approval process, although the funding would appear to be in place subject to all the criteria and being met.  So far the project has passed every hurdle.  As a member of the Ouse and Humber Drainage Board I push this at every opportunity.

Democracy prevails in Gilberdyke - but at what cost?

I don't normally allow posts by others on my blog, but Gilberdyke Parish Council Chairman Nick Norris (pictured) has asked me to post the following on his behalf regarding this past week's Gilberdyke Parish Council by-election.

Congratulations to Chris Newsome on winning the Gilberdyke Parish Council by-election and I look forward to working with him in the future.

Needless to say Gilberdyke taxpayers have had to stump up some £3,000 to pay for this by-election, an election called by just 10 Council tax payers as is the minimum required. The 10 in this case were family and neighbours of Mike Whitley, the losing candidate of the two who stood for the election and someone who has form when it comes to using £1,000’s of taxpayer’s money to further his own agenda.

The Gilberdyke Parish Councillors were democratically elected in May of this year; Mr Whitley failed in his quest to be elected by a considerable margin at that election. Due to one of the Councillors having to step down on health grounds a vacancy arose, and the decision of the 10 in calling the by-election after just 7 months means the taxpayer is saddled with having to pay for two elections in the one year.

I fully agree with the democratic process and everyone’s right to call for an election, and for anyone to put their name forward and be able to lay their case before the electorate. What I do not condone is the actions of a person, whose family and friends calling an election which resulted in that person receiving so little support - namely 83 votes out of a possible 2,557* and much, much fewer then he polled in the May election. This, when Chris Newsome was prepared to be co-opted onto the Parish Council at no cost to the taxpayer before the election was called.

I also have real problems with Mr Whitley when in his by-election literature it states that those Gilberdyke Parish Councillors elected in May, had somehow prevented a fair election at that time. I am tempted to ask for this disingenuous and offensive statement to be investigated, but to what end? For him to be reprimanded or censured after a lengthy investigation, costing and ultimately wasting even more taxpayer’s money.

I take the view that this by-election result shows conclusively that the Gilberdyke electorate has seen through Mr Whitley’s wild accusations, and seen his actions in delaying the flood relief work for what they were – the pursuit of a personal agenda that has resulted in increased costs and wasted time. They have also seen through his frivolous vexatious complaints about Parish Councillors, and particularly our ward Councillor Paul Robinson to the ERYC Standards Committee, they’ve seen through his threats, his complaints to the police, his letters in the press and statements on his website.

The Parish Council now has the opportunity to move forward on many important projects, and hopefully will not have to spend time on defending itself against the constant barrage of complaint and question from Mr Whitley as it as in the past. But unfortunately he will not be totally absent from our thoughts as we have to find some £3,000 from next year’s budget to pay for this by-election, so we will not be able to do as much as we’d planned.

The only reason that I have taken the time to compose this letter is that prior to the election result even being announced, Mr Whitley while standing alongside me actually said to another person present, ‘To be honest I didn’t think I had a chance of winning’. This admittance only confirmed to me that he was well aware that every single person within the Parish of Gilberdyke would have to pay for this election however he didn’t really care about the result.

Finally I would like to thank the people of Gilberdyke for sending out a clear message to Mr Whitley that enough is enough.

*Number of Gilberdyke voters at 1st December 2010

Nick Norris

Chairman, Gilberdyke Parish Council

Gilberdyke Flood Relief Work Restarts After Delays

After all the delays, frustrations and the waiting, construction of the East Riding of Yorkshire Council funded second and third phases of the new Gilberdyke surface water drainage system is underway and should be complete within a few weeks. This £85k to £90k investment includes a 300mm diameter culvert which will connect the previously flooded properties on Westbrook Close and Westbrook Road to the new 900mm diameter culvert, funded by Gilberdyke Parish Council as phase one of the overall scheme. This first phase was completed some months ago by the same contractors and performed as designed during the heavy rainfall experienced on August 3rd this year - which offered some peace of mind for the residents flooded in June 2007.

Once complete this new drainage scheme will take a significant amount of surface water out of the village during heavy rainfall, reducing the pressure on the Yorkshire Water system, and existing surface water systems (which have also been improved by the East Riding of Yorkshire Council, the Lower Ouse Internal Drainage Board and Network Rail), therefore almost all Gilberdyke and Sandholme residents will benefit from a reduced flood risk in the future.

Although the conventional wisdom is that this type of work is best not done in the winter, but the on-going delays resulting from the mischief making from a very small number of residents have left the Council and their contractors with little option but to push on regardless.

I know that the delays experienced on the first phase did cost the Gilberdyke taxpayer more financially, and has had a knock on effect - but we are very lucky that this section was up and running before the rains seen in August.

Credit for this should be given not just to the Parish Council and the Flood Action Group, but also the Lower Ouse Internal Drainage Board, the East Riding of Yorkshire Council Land Drainage section, the consultants Mason Clark Associates, and the contractors L & K Warkup – all of whom had to put up with so much, but prevailed.

I hope that fewer problems are experienced on the second and third phases and the work is completed as soon as possible.

Gilberdyke's Community Funded Drainage Culvert Worked During Heavy Rainfall

Although Gilberdyke didn’t get anywhere near as much rainfall as Goole yesterday it was great to see the new community funded culvert taking all the water. I’m reliably informed that some 25mm of rain fell in the village and although some water levels did rise on some of the roads and at least one garden saw some localised flooding, I’m not aware of any flooding in people’s houses.

The water entered the culvert at the western end without obstruction and flowed out into the large dyke known as Far Drain at the eastern end. The head of the water forced its way out of the culvert and into the dyke even though the level in Far Drain was above the level of the culvert during the peak flow.

Needless to say the culvert did exactly what it was supposed to do, we would not have seen the water move so quickly through this section prior to the work taking place, as the narrowness of the former dyke and capacity of the previously potted sections with their ‘protective grills’ would have created the pinch points and impeded the flow, as highlighted in the survey conducted by Mason Clark after the 2007 floods. The report from this survey subsequently led to the culvert being installed.

All in all it was rewarding to see the system work, and I look forward to the remainder of the work being completed in the near future enabling the culvert to be extended to drain surface water from those at risk properties in Westbrook Road. This of course puts less pressure on the existing surface water and foul water systems in the village meaning that the flood risk to the whole village is reduced.

Many thanks to Gilberdyke Parish Council and the Flood Action Group, the Lower Ouse Internal Drainage Board, the East Riding of Yorkshire Council Drainage Engineers, and the community for their support, a great result of what can be achieved by working together.

Phase 1 of Gilberdyke Flood Relief Scheme Approaches Completion

Gilberdyke Parish Council is pleased to confirm that the much anticipated phase 1 redevelopment of the critical drainage system in the village will soon be completed, and work will then continue onto phases 2 and 3 on Station Road, Westbrook Road and Bellasize Park.

During the public session of the recent Parish Council meeting held on Tuesday 12th July 2011, the individual who has fought the Parish Council ‘tooth and nail’ for month after month delivered what is hoped was his final inaccurate salvo, when he stated that in his opinion the new system will not work. It was pointed out that the system had been designed by Mason Clark Associates in conjunction with the East Riding of Yorkshire Council’s drainage engineers and the Lower Ouse Internal Drainage Board, and the likelihood of all the professional people involved in designing and putting the project together, and the contractors, all getting it wrong was slim. It was also pointed out that all his concerns had been previously addressed by Eddy Allen, the Clerk to the Drainage Board.

It was further explained in considerable detail how the system within the village dovetails with further works planned to lower and widen the dykes down to the river at Blacktoft, where a new large pumping station is to be installed. This larger project will benefit the much wider area than just Gilberdyke, and will also prevent the tidal effects we see in Far Drain as the water rises and falls at the outlet to Phase 1.

As the work on phase 1 reaches its conclusion the Parish Council has to consider the future of this important section of the redeveloped drainage system. It has been established that the strip of land above the run of the new culvert (that was the original dyke) is still in the ownership of the developer.

The Parish Council is very concerned and disappointed to learn that even before the first phase is completed some residents of Scalby Lane and Chestnut Drive properties are attempting to ‘land grab’ sections of this strip of land as theirs - even though it is owned by another party. This ‘land grabbing’ has to cease and it has to be realised that such actions compromise the future maintenance of this critical drainage system for the whole of the village and surrounding area.

It was agreed by the Parish Council that the next important step was to ensure the future safety and secure maintenance of the new system, and would approach the actual owner of the strip of land above the run of the drain, with a view to the Council taking on the responsibility for and to ensure control of this section. A meeting has been arranged for early August.

“I was disappointed that even after the work has been almost completed the Parish Council is still subject to accusations from the same individual, who has been lightening quick in attempting to claim part of the land above the run of the new culvert for himself. I have visited a number of the properties affected by the work and spoken to many residents, most of which seem very impressed by the standard of work and the way the site has been left, as with projects of this size there are always some very minor issues around replanting of shrubs and landscaping that require addressing – but which I’m confident will be cleared up as soon as possible. More importantly the affected residents I have spoken to are very happy with how their gardens have been left, and I hope this serves as a reassurance to those residents who will be affected by the further two phases which are to be carried out shortly”.

Laxton Flood Relief Scheme Moving Forward

The flood prevention scheme for Laxton is moving ahead, as a member of the Lower Ouse Internal Drainage Board I have continued to press the case for Laxton and Eastrington.

I am happy to say that at this time the scheme has so far survived the axe and the money is still in the budget with the Environment Agency. The Engineers employed by the Drainage Board have over the past couple of weeks been taking levels and measurements in Laxton.

The scheme is important as it involves replacing the existing tidal door with one that is less prone to jamming, increasing storage capacity in the dykes, and a system for pumping the water into the river rather than just the gravity outfall we see at present, meaning that the surface water can enter the river at all times rather than be dependent on the state of the tide.

It will also ensure that the levels in the dykes surrounding the villages can be lowered to create a fall through the system, ensuring that the flood risk to Laxton and Eastrington residents is reduced.

(Pictured with Laxton Parish Council Chairman Win Collins)

Yorkshire Water working in Eastrington to reduce flood risk

Yorkshire Water contractors have really progressed since starting work on a project to reduce the flood risk to a number of properties in High Street, Eastrington and, hopefully, to reduce the pressure on the sewage system elsewhere in the village. The work is expected to last for 3 to 4 months in total.

High Street was closed for a period of time and there was also a period of one way traffic, controlled by traffic lights, whilst new drains were installed.

(pictured on a visit to the site)

The Yorkshire Water Scheme involves the installation of two large underground storage tanks along the eastern boundary of the playing field. They will be used to store excess water at times of heavy rainfall which will then be pumped back into the drainage system at a controlled rate when the pressure on the village sewer network reduces.

On completion a small control cubicle, vent pipe and manhole lids will be all that is visible. The playing field will be returned to its original condition and Yorkshire Water has said they will do everything possible to avoid any disruption for the playing field users and that Eastrington Show will not be affected.

As a temporary measure the main ingress into the village hall and car park will be through the entrance known as Jubilee Gates, which will lead also to an area of additional parking places by the cricket score box. It is hoped that by using care and consideration during this period that damage to the field will be minimised, and that once the work has been completed the entrance, driveway and car parking area will be back to normal.

“I am led to believe that a small amount of compensation will be payable by Yorkshire Water and current expectations are that this will be used to improve the village hall car park.”

“Whist appreciating the inconvenience to road users, especially those like myself that forgot the road was closed; the permanent benefits to the properties to the west along High Street would appear to outweigh the minor disruption. Having seen the flooding to some of the properties, and water coming up through the manholes and running down High Street during times of heavy rainfall in the past - I certainly welcome this work.”

Gilberdyke Flood Relief Project Begins!

After all the organisational work, all the arguments and all the hassle - construction work has finally started on the Gilberdyke Flood Relief project this morning. Those who were affected by the June 2007 floods will, I’m sure, be looking forward to the work being completed and the risk of future flooding being vastly reduced.

Once the new culvert is installed there will be less pressure on the Yorkshire Water sewage system (into which an amount of the surface water discharges at present) and the other surface water drains, therefore this culvert will have a positive effect for most of the village.

This is the first of the three phases and the section which takes the surface water from most of the village, once completed the other two phases can then follow on soon after, looking towards a completion date for the whole system in the spring.

There will obviously be some minor disruption during the undertaking of the work, some people have raised the issue of the pipes being stored near the Health Centre and another raised the issue of the spoil being temporarily piled at the side of the public footpath. Hopefully the pipes will soon be buried in the ground and once the job in completed the spoil and waste materials will all be removed.

This work is a great example of a community working in partnership with organisations such as the Parish Council, East Riding of Yorkshire Council and the Lower Ouse Internal Drainage Board.

Many thanks to all those people who have stuck with this.


(Pictured with the contractors who had to hand dig the first section)

Gilberdyke Flood Relief Scheme - The pipes have been delivered!

The pipes have been delivered – this being the first sign of the work starting on the new culvert running behind Gilberdyke’s Scalby Lane and Chestnut Drive, to enable the surface water to run out of the village during times of heavy rainfall.

This is the first phase culvert, that once complete will allow the East Riding of Yorkshire Council to install and connect the next two phases of the new drain up to the properties on Station Road, Westbrook Road and Westbrook Crescent that were flooded in 2007.

The whole project will lessen the flood risk to all properties in the village by reducing the pressure on the Yorkshire Water pumped sewage system during times of heavy rainfall, which we saw during the floods.

There were times in the past 2½ years when I wondered if the village would see this work start, but needless to say after all the obstacles put in the way of the Parish Council and the community as a whole we are moving ahead.

Thanks to Eddy Allen of the Lower Ouse Internal Drainage Board, East Riding of Yorkshire Council Drainage Engineers, Gilberdyke Parish Councillors, members of the Gilberdyke Flood Action Group and most importantly the residents for sticking with this through some particularly difficult times.

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.

North Cave residents to have their say on design of new Froscoles Bridge

Residents in North Cave are being encouraged to come and find out more about the next stages of a scheme to reduce the risk of flooding to 31 properties.

On Wednesday 10 November staff from the Environment Agency are holding a drop in session at North Cave Village Hall from 3pm to 7pm.

The Environment Agency has already completed the first two phases of the scheme.

For the first phase of the scheme a new overflow channel was created at Low Mill. The new channel carries extra water in times of heavy rain where North Cave Beck used to overspill onto the surrounding area.

For the second phase of the scheme part of North Cave Beck at Townend Lane was widened. The work has increased the capacity of the beck by approximately 15 per cent, which will improve water flow during times of heavy rain, reducing the risk of flooding in the village.

Work is due to start on the next phase of the scheme at Froscoles Bridge. The arches of the bridge don’t allow enough water to flow underneath when it floods which causes water to back up and flood nearby properties. The Environment Agency will be replacing the bridge, which will allow water to flow through more freely.

The Environment Agency would recognises that is still more to do to reduce the risk of flooding, and are holding the event so they can show the residents of North Cave their plans for next phase of the scheme. Members of North Cave Parish Council Flood Committee will also be at the event to answer any questions.

North Cave experienced flooding from North Cave Beck on a number of occasions, most recently in November 2000, February 2001 and June 2007. The most severe flooding in North Cave occurred in 2007 when widespread flooding was caused by very heavy persistent rain falling on already saturated ground.

Although the process of the flood relief work in North Cave has been long and often frustrating since the June 2007 flooding, we have seen some tangible results over the past year or so with the excellent work already undertaken by the Environment Agency as part of the first two phases.

I am acutely aware of the delays and difficulties involved with the decision making process, when it came to the design of the replacement Froscoles Bridge, which was agreed many months ago, before a late intervention by ‘interested parties’ required the bridge being redesigned to be capable of taking a ‘horse and trap’. I hope the new plans are in tune with the wishes of residents and the project can move forward quickly.”

I applaud the members of the North Cave Parish Council’s Flood Committee, for the tireless work they have put in over the last 3 years, and also to the Environment Agency’s Keith Crawford for what I’m sure has been a frustrating project for him – Thanks to all who have stuck with this!

Photo courtesy of Paul Harrop

Gilberdyke Flooding and Memorial Hall Funding Issues

Gilberdyke residents may have received a letter from a Mike Whitley in which he details what he believes to be the flood relief scheme in Gilberdyke and the funding plans for a replacement Memorial Hall. He also makes serious and false accusations about the Parish Council as he seeks to satisfy and further his own agenda. Most residents are aware of the proposals and the funding arrangements, and the Parish Council has published a rebuttal document to clarify the details of the scheme and address Mr Whitley’s accusations directly.

Mr Whitley appears to have totally misunderstood the scope of the flood relief works, how it is to be funded and how the consultation process was carried out. He also fails to understand how Gilberdyke people feel about their Memorial Hall.

The document can be found at: http://gilberdyke.org.uk/

Gilberdyke Parish Council has unfortunately been subject to Mr Whitley’s actions for many months, which have cost the Parish Council a considerable amount of extra money and wasted time. The Parish Council has been open about the scheme and the cost implication from the very beginning, and has consulted extensively with residents. Now is the time to move forward with the flood relief scheme - as any further delays may well result in the work not being completed this year.

Successful consultation on Gilberdyke Flood Prevention Proposals

Many thanks to all Gilberdyke residents who attended the consultation on the plans for flood prevention work in the village. During the day over a hundred people passed through to look at the plans, and talk to representatives from the Gilberdyke Parish Council, East Riding of Yorkshire Council’s Drainage Engineers and Eddy Allen the Clerk to the Lower Ouse Internal Drainage Board.

Residents were also able to leave comments, which where on the whole very positive, all were in favour of the work going ahead as proposed, but suggesting some minor changes to accommodate the routing of the new drain to avoid sheds, garages and fish ponds, and access issues.

Additional information was also provided by residents on the location of other drains, as well as the routes of underground electricity cables.

“This is a great example of what can be achieved when organisations and a community work together, and the lack of any negative comments from those who visited is a tribute to all those who have been involved in the sometimes difficult, and delicate fact finding, design and funding process”

The consultation came after the Parish Council held meetings with those residents who would be directly affected by the installation of the new drainage system, therefore I certainly now feel confident that the community has had a good opportunity to have their say and comment on the proposals.

The next step is for Gilberdyke Parish Council to hold an Extraordinary General Meeting on 1st June 2010 to fully endorse the proposals, and formally begin the process of obtaining the required finance.

It is hoped the work will be completed by the end of the summer.

Final consultation on Gilberdyke flood relief proposals

The process to build a comprehensive Gilberdyke flood prevention scheme is almost complete. A final consultation on the proposals is to be carried out on Thursday 20th May 2010 at the Gilberdyke Village Hall Youth Building between noon and 7pm, where Parish Councillors, representatives from the East Riding of Yorkshire Council and Lower Ouse Internal Drainage Board will be available.

It is proposed to install a new surface water drain from Westbrook Crescent to Far Drain. The drain will be installed along the rear of the houses West and South of Westbrook Road, running along a short section of Station Road before turning to run along the route of the dyke between the gardens of the properties on Scalby Lane and some properties on Greenacre Park and Chestnut Drive. The majority of the drain will be constructed using perforated pipework between 300mm to 900mm diameter, surrounded by gravel to allow surface water to drain into the line. Existing surface water drains will be diverted into this new drain. The final section along the rear of Skitam Lodge leading to Far Drain will be an open dyke.

(pictured with Gilberdyke Parish Councillor John Jessop at the point where the new drain is planned to join with Far Drain)

Sections of the proposed drain will be new, whilst other sections will replace lengths of open dyke as well as lengths that have been piped by householders, giving a vastly improved system serving a considerable number of properties in the village. These include Sandholme Road, Clementhorpe Road, St Stephens, Hansard Drive/Crescent, Willow Green, Chapel Garth and sections of Station Road, Bellasize Park, Green Acre Park, Chestnut Drive, Scalby Lane, and Sandholme Park

The important aspect of this proposal is the effect on those properties not directly benefiting, by ensuring that during times of rainfall the pressure will be significantly reduced on the existing surface and foul water system, into which the surface water from almost all the remainder of the properties within the village discharge.

The whole village will certainly benefit during times of very heavy rainfall, but in addition, evidence shows that potential increases in household insurance premiums as a result of the 2007 flooding are being reduced in flooded and non-flooded areas of the village as a consequence of the proposals, once the insurance companies are made aware.

This work is a great example of organisations working in partnership, Gilberdyke Parish Council is working with both the East Riding of Yorkshire Council and the Lower Ouse Internal Drainage Board to develop a joined up approach to managing flood risk in Gilberdyke.

The work is going to be carried out by contractors supervised by the Lower Ouse Internal Drainage Board who will also be contributing funding and work in kind. The East Riding of Yorkshire Council was successful in obtaining £4m European Grant Aid to which an additional £0.5m was added from the Council funding, from this £85,000 has been identified to carry out works in the Parish of Gilberdyke.

The Parish Council will also be required to contribute funding, this is planned to be raised by taking a short-term loan, the repayment of which is hoped would be limited to a maximum cost of approximately 35p per week per household paid through the Council Tax, which would be payable for a period of 4 years. This figure may well be reduced when the accumulated savings made by the Parish Council for the past and current year are fully realised.

The Drainage Board and its contractors will work with residents to ensure the minimum of disruption, and it is hoped that the work will be carried out during the year.

GILBERDYKE Flooding Update

It is now two and a half years since the devastating floods which saw over 50 properties in Gilberdyke affected. During this time Gilberdyke Parish Council has undertaken a considerable amount of work, in the immediate aftermath setting up the Flood Action Group as an informal working group, which allowed members of the community and Parish Councillors to work together towards a solution.

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.

Gilberdyke to get up to £85,000 for flood prevention work

With ERYC Drainage Engineer Martin Clark and fellow Parish Councillor John Jessop

The East Riding of Yorkshire Council (ERYC) has allocated funding of up to £85k for flood prevention work in the Parish of Gilberdyke, which was hit by flooding in 2007, this funding is given to villages where it is less likely that there will be major investment by other agencies, despite the level of flooding that occurred.

As part of the Government’s response to the Pitt Review, which was the official report into the 2007 floods, the East Riding of Yorkshire Council will work with the Environment Agency and Yorkshire Water to establish a ‘Surface Water Management Plan’. This Plan aims to ensure that there is a full understanding of how drainage across the East Riding works and how the various systems link together. The ERYC has secured a £4m European Grant for improved drainage work; this is in addition to the £0.5m already allocated by the Council.

Gilberdyke Parish Council has undertaken a considerable amount of work since the 2007 floods, almost immediately afterwards setting up the Flood Action Group as an informal working group, allowing members of the community and Parish Councillors to work together towards a solution. Some £7,000 was originally allocated to the Parish Council, which has been used to commission an investigation and produce an independent report into the flooding, identifying particular problem areas, and providing recommendations.

The independent report, which identified key watercourse maintenance issues that contributed to the flooding and the time taken for the water to leave the village, was published and passed to interested agencies, including the ERYC and the Lower Ouse Internal Drainage Board.

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 work to be done in order to improve the Scalby Lane riparian watercourse will be done under the supervision of the Lower Ouse Internal Drainage Board (LOIDB) as the Land Drainage Authority empowered to deliver the scheme. It is unlikely that any work will be carried out until after August due to Natural England’s guidance on the destruction and removal of vegetation, in order to ensure breeding wildlife is not adversely affected.

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.

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 and Network Rail to carry out long overdue maintenance work. Both 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 may well be asked to contribute to drain and dyke upkeep in the future, either by funding or maintenance. I hope the ERYC will also seek to obtain financial contributions from affected riparian owners who benefit from works carried out by the authority, and a partnership approach taken, allowing the maximum community benefit to be obtained for the funding available.

'Walking Gilberdyke's Far Drain' please click link below:

http://www.thisishullandeastriding.co.uk/video.html?id=42816

Gilberdyke - One Year On From The Floods

One year on from the June 25th 2007 flooding much has been done and most flooded Gilberdyke residents are back in their houses, but unfortunately some are not. For many flood victims it has been a difficult year, and I share their concerns particularly when the rain starts to fall. Residents have told me they worry when they see the weather forecast or if the rain starts during the night.

In the aftermath of the flooding a Gilberdyke Flood Action Group was set up by the Parish Council and has been successful in accessing £7,800 of Government funding through the East Riding of Yorkshire Council. This money is being spent on commissioning consulting engineers to: Investigate and determine exactly what the drainage problems are in Gilberdyke before coming up with an action plan and recommendations to prevent future flooding in the village. Some works and essential maintenance have been carried out on the various watercourses and drainage dykes around the village since the flooding, although a lot more remains to be done. Relevant agencies have been encouraged to adopt regular timetables for continued maintenance and improvements.

The Consulting Engineers have already received a lot of valuable information from residents regarding the extent of the floods and the layout of the drainage systems in and around the village. It is intended that this information will be used as a basis for improving the existing drainage and to reduce the risk of flooding in the future. The group has already received a lot of valuable information from residents regarding the extent of the floods and the layout of the drainage systems in and around the village. It is intended that this information will be used as a basis for improving the existing drainage and to reduce the risk of flooding in the future.

It is anticipated that the recommendations for future action will include the reopening of filled in dykes and watercourses particularly in Scalby Lane, Station Road, Westbrook Road/Crescent and surrounds. The contentious issue of Riparian Ownership of dykes and watercourses will have to be addressed.Questions continue to be raised with the Lower Ouse Internal Drainage Board (LOIDB) regarding the “ring fenced” monies being held for the maintenance of the pumps for pumping excess water from the dyke which takes some of the water from the M62 to the River Ouse.

I felt disappointed that the £1.4million application to Central Government was turned down leaving Gilberdyke in pretty much the same situation as before the floods. I also share the communities frustrations that the LOIDB are not able to use the ring fenced money for pumping the M62 water which flows through and contributes to the flooding in Gilberdyke, rather than just that water running down the one dyke to the west of the village.

Yorkshire Water must address the issue of surface water entering the foul water system, as even as late as January of this year the foul water sewers could not cope with the rainfall. “I was absolutely amazed by the consultation comments from Yorkshire Water on a recent planning application for 17 houses in the village. The company appeared to be unaware that 56 houses were flooded in Gilberdyke during last June’s flooding with some residents still not back in their houses, or that the sewers flooded again in January. I could not believe that Yorkshire Water’s planners did not know about these specific incidents or that their sewers flood on a regular basis, or that the school was closed for a week a year ago, not because of the building being flooded but because the school toilets could not be flushed as the sewers were full.

Some work has been done by the various agencies but much more is required to satisfy the concerns of Gilberdyke residents.

Gilberdyke Flood Action Group obtains £7,800 funding

Gilberdyke Parish Council's Flood Action Group has been successful in accessing £7,800 of Government funding through the East Riding of Yorkshire Council. This money will be spent to commission consulting engineers to: Investigate and determine exactly what the drainage problems are in Gilberdyke before coming up with an action plan and recommendations to prevent future flooding in the village.

Since the flooding last June some works and essential maintenance have been carried out on the various watercourses and drainage dykes around the village, although a lot more remains to be done. Relevant agencies have been encouraged to adopt regular timetables for continued maintenance and improvements.

Questions continue to be raised with the Lower Ouse Internal Drainage Board (LOIDB) regarding the “ring fenced” monies being held for the maintenance of the pumps for pumping excess water from the dyke which takes some of the water from the M62 to the River Ouse. The group felt disappointed that the £1.4million application to Central Government was turned down leaving Gilberdyke in pretty much the same situation as before the floods. The group are also frustrated that the LOIDB are not able to use the ring fenced money for pumping the M62 water which flows through and contributes to the flooding in Gilberdyke, rather than just that water running down the one dyke to the west of the village.

It is anticipated that the recommendations for future action will include the reopening of filled in dykes and watercourses particularly in Scalby Lane, Station Road, Westbrook Road/Crescent and surrounds. The contentious issue of Riparian Ownership of dykes and watercourses will also be addressed.

The group has already received a lot of valuable information from residents regarding the extent of the floods and the layout of the drainage systems in and around the village. It is intended that this information will be used as a basis for improving the existing drainage and to reduce the risk of flooding in the future.

The group intends to hold a public meeting once the consultants report has been received.

The next meeting of the Gilberdyke Flood Action Group is to be held at the White Horse Pub on Monday 21st April at 7.30pm.

Gilberdyke - Flooding update

With Gilberdyke Flood Action Group Chairman Yvonne Terry on Gilberdyke's Station Road

At last weeks meeting of the Gilberdyke Flood Action Group the discussion centred on the disturbing news that the Environment Agency has moved the goal posts, and performed a U turn regarding funding of local flood defence projects through the Medium Term Plan (MTP) application process. A number of questions were raised regarding the actions of the Environment Agency, Natural England, DEFRA, the ERYC and the Lower Ouse Internal Drainage Board, before and after the June 25th floods.

There was concern that six months on after the floods, as far as the various agencies were concerned, Gilberdyke was turning into the forgotten village. It was established that there are some 31 houses that will still not be habitable before Christmas, and the residents of 13 of these properties are living in not large static, but small touring caravans.

The group had invited Mr Graham Bate of A & F Consulting Engineers to discuss the flooding problems and look to finding a permanent solution. The discussion focussed on a number of key issues such as increased building on land that had been historically wet, householders filling in dykes over the years, and the concretisation of much of the village. It was established that Westbrook Road and Station Road must be the priority areas as this was where the majority of the house flooding occurred in June, and that these houses had become very close to flooding in the recent past.

But it was acknowledged that without the water being able to run from the village down to the river at Blacktoft, very little useful flood defence work within the village would be possible. It was deemed imperative that the Environment Agency funds the MTP application to widen and deepen the dykes down to Blacktoft and provide a pumping station to lift the water into the river.

Gilberdyke Flood Action Group Chairman, Yvonne Terry says, “Yes, there was excessive rainfall on the 25th June, but what was abundantly clear was the inadequacies of the existing infrastructure for drainage/sewerage/drains to cope with a volume of water, Gilberdyke being one of many places. It doesn’t matter how few or how many houses were flooded, any house flooded is not good enough. The authorities have a responsibility to ensure flooding is stopped; the Environment Agency are reneging on their responsibilities if they do not fund all of these Medium Term Plan schemes”.

Yvonne continues, ”Taxes, rates and levies have all been taken from us over many years and yet the fabric of our infrastructure has been allowed to be neglected and cannot cope with the requirements of modern society and climate change. There is no question; increased funding has to be found to deliver all these local flood defence projects”.

Cllr Paul Robinson adds, “I have seen flood victims in many parts of Hull and the East Riding, some of which have moved back into their properties, some are still in caravans or rented accommodation, some sleeping upstairs whilst living in a caravan during the day, some staying with relatives, and some people that lived with the mess as they did not want to or could not move out. But I am most concerned that those residents, particularly those in bungalows like we see down Gilberdyke’s Station Road, who are going to be spending Christmas in small caravans parked in their front gardens. The days and nights over the Christmas period could be a sad and quiet time for some of Gilberdyke’s residents”.

Environment Agency moves the goalposts on flood defence funding

At a recent public meeting held in North Cave with Mr Peter Holmes of the Environment Agency (EA), residents were dismayed to hear that the Environment Agency appears to have ‘moved the goalposts’ for flood defence funding applications.Under threat are the two applications for flood defence projects worth over £1.5million submitted to the Environment Agency for Medium Term Plan (MTP) funding. The two Howdenshire areas, namely North Cave, and the Lower Ouse Internal Drainage Board area including the villages of Gilberdyke, Blacktoft, Eastrington and Laxton now face an agonising wait.

I am reliably informed that during DEFRA/Environment Agency training workshop held in June of this year, the participants were told that any application with a scoring of over 20 on their predetermined scale would have been ‘favourable for approval’ and the two subsequent applications from the flood-hit areas above scored well into the 20’s.

It now appears that there has been a shifting of the goal posts, as during the North Cave meeting, Mr Peter Holmes stated that figure has been raised to the high 20’s or even as high as 30, effectively ruling out these two applications.

If this is the case does this indicate the Environment Agency are now looking at ways to accommodate the current MTP applications into the funding that was available prior to the flooding in June 2007? This smacks of fitting flood defence work into existing funding rather than increasing the funding for the work required as promised by Central Government.

This is potentially very bad news for Gilberdyke, Blacktoft, Laxton and Eastrington who were hoping the MTP application would be used to fund the £1.4million flood prevention scheme, to include dyke widening, new dykes and a new pumping station.

Phil Garland, North Cave Resident and Chairman of the Parish Flood Committee in the village adds, "As a village we must all have serious worries over the commitment of the EA towards the flood protection of rural communities. The insistence by the EA for us to look to a flood defence scheme part funded via our own fundraising and part funded by Local Authority money is ludicrous. If the beck and drainage had been adequately maintained we wouldnot be in this situation. This is, in my opinion, just another example of a government department that is under funded and is over run with middle management bureaucracy and will have a detrimental effect on our village and lives.

"Phil continues, "The opinion of the Environment Agency with regards to our MTP application is disappointing, however the community has been thrown a lifeline where the work required in North Cave could be funded by a scheme under the local levy funding route. We are committed now to working extremely closely with the Agency and their consultants to produce a flood defence scheme that will, if funding is granted, protect the future of our village."

“Having spoken to fellow Councillors, MPs and residents alike there is a shared frustration that the Environment Agency are still maintaining the following position: ‘Because of the rainfall on June 25th 2007, whatever preventative routine maintenance work on watercourses and facilities that should have been carried out previously - would have made little or no difference to the flooding that occurred on the day’. In my view this is clearly becoming an ever more untenable position to take, as more and more contradictory anecdotal evidence comes to light that if the work that should have been carried out had been, houses would have been saved as the extent of the flooding was mitigated.”

David Davis MP adds, “I am concerned that, especially in North Cave, the cost of the flood defence work required is relatively small compared with the costs incurred by householders and their insurance companies as a result of the damage caused by June 25th floods. I have written to the Environment Agency asking for an explanation as to why Howdenshire villages may well lose out to a shortfall in Government funding for flood defences.”

Please see link below to Yorkshire Post Article:

http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/localnews/Row-over-flood-funding-39Uturn39.3518295.jp