brentwood.gov.uk

With reference to the above draft local plan (ref 186), and possible housing development of the old blood bank site in Crescent Drive, I wish to raise some concerns. Myself and my family live in Worrin Road, and in June 2016, our property, and several of our neighbours houses and gardens were badly flooded from the rear of our properties. This was due to a stream which runs along the rear of the blood bank and is then taken underground in a culvert at the rear of a property in Middleton Road, becoming totally unable to cope with the amount of both ground water and run off water from the largely concreted areas in the blood bank and hospital. The debris that the water carries with it from woodland owned by Brentwood Council then blocked the culvert, causing the water to be diverted through our properties instead of being taken underground. Our house (house number), and our immediate neighbour at (house number), were so badly flooded internally that we had to move out immediately, spend 3 weeks at my parents, and subsequently into rented accommodation until our house was dried out and reinstated by builders provided by our insurers. We were unable to move back in until the beginning of November, over 4 months after it flooded. Our neighbours flood damage was much worse than ours, they were out for approx. 8 months. Not an experience I would want to have to repeat. Our concern is, that any redevelopment MUST pay extreme attention to drainage plans. If this possible development increases surface water, or the capacity of water going into this system, I have no doubt that we would be flooded again. At present we have a very vigilant neighbour in Middleton Road who watches the culvert for blockages on a CCTV camera he has installed at his own cost. He also regularly unblocks the culvert, several times a week, and at ungodly hours. I have no doubt that if he was not so vigilant we would have been flooded several times since June 2016. (Name of officer) from Brentwood Council has seen this culvert in action, and has seen CCTV footage of it becoming blocked in the space of 2 minutes with debris carried from your woodland. He advised us that Brentwood are not prepared to apply for a grant from Essex CC to put in place improvements to the area which Essex CC have recommended having surveyed the area with us in 2016 and 2017. He felt these improvements may lead to your woodland area becoming flooded. Personally I cannot compare your woodland being flooded to properties being flooded to the extent that residents are left homeless!! But I now know where Brentwood Councils priorities lie. Apologies for the long explanation, but I feel quite strongly that you should be made aware of the flood risk we face if the development goes ahead without the appropriate considerations for those of us in the path of this water. The system that is there at present does not work properly, the culvert is not fit for its purpose, and any extra water put into this system is highly likely to cause us more problems. I am also sending this e mail to my local councillors for their information.