Housing developers will now be forced to take action to improve drainage at their sites after a village was hit by severe flooding.
Residents described seeing a ‘sea of mud’ wash through the village of Burton Joyce during recent heavy rainfall, with poor drainage at new housing development sites at Orchard Close and Glebe Farm being blamed for the incident.
Following complaints from villagers, Councillors Sam Smith and Mike Adams, who represent Trent Valley, called on planning inspectors from Gedling Borough Council to call a halt to development until drainage was improved.
Planning officers from Gedling Borough Council have now carried out inspections at both sites and action has been taken.
A 14-day notice has been issued to the Orchard Close developer, telling them to immediately take measures to ensure surface water is appropriately managed during the construction phase of the development by installing a temporary drainage system and seeking the submission of permanent drainage plans.
A stop notice could be issued in 14 days if interim drainage isn’t installed and drainage plans submitted.
Additional flood mitigation measures have now been implemented on the Glebe Farm site, including the creation of a ditch and gully inlet
The Trent Valley Councillors have issued a statement that they shared with Gedling Eye
It said: “During the recent heavy rainfall, a ‘sea of mud’ washed through Burton Joyce caused by runoff from the housing development sites on Orchard Close and Glebe Farm.
“After assisting residents and businesses with the clean-up and arranging for the Council’s road sweeper to sweep through the village, we contacted Gedling Borough Council’s CEO and Head of Planning to requesting a halt to the house building sites until adequate drainage is installed to help prevent future flooding.
“As a result, we can now confirm that site visits have been carried out by the Planning Department this week which confirmed that land excavation works associations with the developments clearly resulted in the flooding.
“Action not words! Fingers crossed these actions reduce the risk of future flooding across Burton Joyce.
“We would like to express our thanks to the Officers of Gedling Borough Council for swift action. Thanks also to the residents and businesses who have been impacted by the flooding for working with us towards mitigation action and thanks to the road sweeping teams.
“We will continue to monitor this and will continue to do all we can to protect our green spaces, which absorb water to help mitigate the risk of flooding, from yet more housing.”
Gedling Borough Council have also confirmed that action had now been taken.
A spokesman said: “On Thursday, large parts of the borough and the county saw extremely high levels of rainfall, causing flooding across several areas. We provided support for households who were in imminent danger of flooding, providing sandbags to several homes.
“Our road sweepers have been out to the affected areas to help clear up the debris caused by the rainfall.
“The development is at an early pre-construction stage and it’s clear that the appropriate drainage to prevent the mud falling down the hills was not in place and we have requested they urgently fix this or face enforcement action that could include shutting the site down.”
