FLOODING

Flooding

Residents will be aware that the fields immediately below the development are part of the Great Ouse floodplain and are frequently under water (formerly on average once a year, but in recent years flooding has been almost monthly during the winter season!). SNC/WNC have designated much of the built site a Flood Zone​. The image below shows the flood-zone across the site (with the site outlined in red)

The developer wants to increase the size of this little culvert at the Buckingham Arm (shown above). The Environment Agency say the culvert cannot be scaled up – it holds back water from escaping too fast into the River Great Ouse. If it is increased in size that would exacerbate the flooding in Stony Stratford and downstream in Newport Pagnell.

“...we still are unable to give acceptance to the application as the proposal has not demonstrated that there will be no off-site impacts and there will be no increased flood risk elsewhere.” 


The Environment Agency



The Environment Agency, along with others, have raised objections to the first three, and more recently, the forth proposal. They are still concerned about loss of soakaway with so much area under tarmac and concrete.


Their stance is partly due to our consultant's conclusions calling out the flaws in the developer’s plans. The fourth proposal will include constructing a dam to create a large reservoir holding more than 44,000m3 of water as well as two raised attenuation lakes. 44,000m3 of water is about 20 Olympic-sized swimming pools! This is a major engineering project, and its size will require stringent regulation including a supervising engineer to monitor it during construction and every year after that. There are dwellings directly below the reservoir so it may fall into the ‘high risk’ category as a breach would mean a danger to life. In addition to the supervising engineer, an inspecting engineer will need to report on its safety at least every ten years - who will be responsible for this?


The new reservoir also means losing a huge area of the Country Park!

Large, raised reservoirs may be classed as high-risk when human life would be endangered if the dam fails, causing an uncontrolled release of water. If this dam fails it would cause a potential loss of life as well as calamitous flooding upstream in Stony and downstream in Newport Pagnell. 

“We note the compensatory Flood Storage Area (FSA) is proposed to hold a large volume of flood water and that it will fall under the ambit of the Reservoirs Act 1975.....and it will be most likely considered a ‘high’ risk reservoir due to its location.” 


The Environment Agency

“...the site may be at risk of great depths of flooding with vehicles being potentially lifted in deep flood water. The northern site could potentially be cut off if flood water submerges the Spine Road with Old Cosgrove Road and Stratford Road already submerged..” 


The Environment Agency

Flooding - Reasons to Object
  • Massive loss of soakaway in a WNC Flood Zone leading to the risk of more flooding in Stony Stratford and downstream in Newport Pagnell.
  • The developer wants to create a massive reservoir. This is a major engineering project, not part of the original scheme. If it breaches it would cause a potential loss of life.
  • The reservoir will be filled with effluent rich water in times of high rainfall. And logic dictates that if the outflow is slower than the inflow, the reservoir will fill up – where will the flood water go if that is the case?
  • Parts of the site are still at risk of flooding up to 2 metres in depth, making the site unusable.
  • The Environment Agency is to date maintaining its objection.
  • There is still a risk that onsite flooding could destabilise the banks of the old canal.
YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE: Object/Comment on Planning Application at WNC
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