Site Ref No GNLP0232 LOW STREET, WICKLEWOOD
SITE: North facing slope of an arable field bounded by a hedge and ditch on the South side of Low Street Wicklewood.
DRAINAGE Surface water drains down the slope often flooding a slightly flatter area behind the hedge before flowing into the ditch. There are also land drains taking water into the ditch.
DITCH/FLOODING This ditch has a habit ,in really wet weather, of overflowing onto the road, flooding both that and the drives and gardens of the properties opposite. This winter it has happened on 3 separate occasions.
ROAD: The road is basically single track throughout, with some very sharp bends especially towards the High Street end and again where it joins green Lane, Crownthorpe. There is no highway drainage in front of the site and there is no footpath or passing places the length of Low Street. The school children walk down the middle of the road. It is in fact a country lane!!
SEWER The main sewer for the houses opposite the site runs through their back gardens. There is no mains sewer down that part of the road.
In my opinion this is a totally unsuitable site for housing development. The ditch would be incapable of taking the extra surface water created and the flooding would increase to completely unacceptable levels. Therefore a entirely new drainage system would have to be constructed, the whole length of Low Street. The road would be unable to cope with all the extra traffic (drive ways are currently used as passing places, with the inevitable breakdown of verges) and a completely new sewage system would need be created.
In addition the site comprises good agriculture land and the hedge acts as a wildlife haven. This site should not be developed .