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 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.

£1.4million Application Submitted for Gilberdyke, Blacktoft, Laxton & Eastrington flood prevention scheme

An application has been submitted to the Environment Agency by the Lower Ouse Internal Drainage Board (LOIDB) for two separate schemes worth some £1.4million to relieve the future potential flooding for households and businesses in the villages of Gilberdyke, Blacktoft, Eastrington and Laxton.

The schemes are part of a ‘Medium Term Plan’ and are to include broadening and deepening of existing dykes, and the installation of new pumping facilities at Blacktoft and Laxton to lift the water into the river during times of flooding.

The timing of the application was crucial as the deadline was very tight. I would like to thank Local consultants AF Consulting of Newport, the LOIDB officers, and clerk Eddie Allen and his staff.... We all worked together to ensure the August 31st deadline was met.

Credit should also be given to Gilberdyke’s recently formed Flood Action Group who organised the community into sending many letters, as well as residents from other villages who also sent letters and messages to the LOIDB demanding that action be taken.

A decision on the application is expected by Christmas, when the LOIDB will know if the money has been made available from Central Government, this money will be then ring fenced for the project and hopefully specific design work can start in early 2008.

This is a positive step for residents of Gilberdyke, Blacktoft, Eastrington and Laxton, and if approved by Central Government will offer a permanent solution to removing floodwater rapidly from these communities. The effect on Gilberdyke should be to reduce the level of the water table, allowing rainfall without flooding, but this is only part of the solution and there will still be much to do in order to re-open or re-pot dykes filled in by developers and householders.

The next meeting of the Gilberdyke Flood Action Group is to be held at 7.30pm on 12th Sept 2007 at the Common Room, Scalby Lane, Gilberdyke.

"I offer my full support to this application, it is vital that the Environment Agency approves these schemes in order to prevent a repeat of the tragic flooding seen recently across the East Riding" David Davis MP

Gilberdyke Flood Meeting report

Further to the Flood Meeting held in Gilberdyke last Wednesday, 8th August 2007.

Many thanks to all those who attended and those who put their names forward to be part of a Parish Council Flood Action Group to deal with the whole flooding issue.

The meeting was always going to be emotional, with many Gilberdyke residents suffering the adverse effects, many having to move out whilst others electing to stay in their homes whilst repair work is carried out.

The East Riding of Yorkshire Council is asking all Ward Councillors and Parish Councils to report on the flooding in communities, and for suggestions as to what worked and what didn’t, what lessons can be learned, and what can be done to prevent a reoccurrence of the flooding. This will be one of the first tasks of the Flood Action Group.

During the recent flooding the area south of Gilberdyke and the railway, including the dykes in front of the farms on Bellasize Lane, into which the surface water from the west side of Gilberdyke discharges were found to be flooded, with water across the road in places.

“Ironically at the same time the 3 large dykes taking this water down to the River Ouse had a normal level of water at the river end, this raised the question of whether these dykes were not blocked or badly maintained. It was also confirmed that a number of fields were flooded in the Bellasize and Bennetland areas and south towards the river; therefore it is clearly not just householders who suffered but also farmers”.

A Lower Ouse Internal Drainage Board (LOIDB) proposal for improving the flow of surface water from Gilberdyke and the land south to the river was discussed at length. This includes plans for a new cross dyke to bring the main dykes together, deepening and regrading of existing dykes, and the installation of a pumping station, similar to the one exiting at Yokefleet, to pump the water up and over into the river. The effect of this would be to ensure surface water drains quickly from Gilberdyke and the surrounding communities.

“I have since spoken to the ERYC finance department regarding funding the Lower Ouse Internal Drainage Board proposal, and will have further discussions and meetings in the days and weeks to come. I realise the problems associated with getting water out of villages such as Gilberdyke is shared by other communities, the nearest being North Cave, where again the main water course from the village could not cope with the volume of water, with lack of maintenance being one of the factors”.

“It is acknowledged that to get water out of Gilberdyke in the future is a significant problem and must be the priority, without this being achieved very little effective work can be done in the village. But, once the water can flow freely from Gilberdyke, other work inside the village itself can be done to further alleviate the flooding problems”.

“This one proposal for Gilberdyke may well become part of a much larger flood defence project, therefore we should be mindful of working in isolation, but not put off doing as much as we can”.

The role of Natural England and the Environment Agency was also questioned with many residents and farmers feeling it unacceptable to be flooded within their homes and land, because the section where a major dyke enters the river cannot be cleaned of silt build up for the sake of protecting reed beds, water voles and great crested newts.

A report put out by the ERYC some 2/3years ago in response to a thorough investigation of Gilberdyke’s foul and surface water drainage by the Parish Council, Yorkshire Water, LOIDB, ERYC Highways, ERYC public health and some residents was also discussed. This report indicated numerous problems with the internal drainage system caused mainly by incorrectly potted dykes. Under riparian law the householders should be prepared to reclaim and maintain these. This is something the Action Group will also be looking into.

The impact of increased development and a perceived lack of local input into planning decisions were also raised. Last year Gilberdyke Parish Council sent out a simple letter seeking support for the Parish Council in opposing any further housing or industrial development in the village until such a time that the village infrastructure be improved, with the village drainage certainly being one of the major infrastructural concerns. At that time some 460 Gilberdyke residents from over 350 households responded of which 453 supported the Parish Council’s position, whilst only 7 residents did not.

“Rest assured the ERYC took note of the feelings of Gilberdyke’s residents last year, and I along with my fellow Howdenshire Ward Councillors will be continuing to make sure residents voices are heard on future development as well the overall flooding situation”.