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Representation ID: 21808

Received: 15/03/2020

Respondent: Mr R Craggs

This submission follows sequentially from my submission for GNLP Reg 18 Consultation 22 March 2018, which in turn followed my submission to NCC Local Flood Risk Management Strategy 23 May 2015. For well over a decade my focus has been on flood risk to existing homes from the extensive developments planned and taking place in Sprowston.
It is crucial that residents be provided with the information they seek in order to engage in a meaningful way in important consultations such as this. Interactive flood maps are an excellent innovation but these have not been updated for the Sprowston area for some years now. The sparseness of flood risk information available for this area conceals a potential problem, and yet key information has been communicated to the relevant authorities, but there is no indication of this on maps or in the narrative in your Consultation documentation for Sprowston.
This information provided previously was made available because it was acknowledged how little the Environment Agency (EA) knew about the presence of surface water and groundwater in this area, given that the EA was only created in 1995 and when their remit only covered flood risk in the vicinity of rivers and large bodies of water; and groundwater was not even considered until relatively recently, despite being reported to them years previously. You do not need to be near a river or a large body of water if large areas are to be covered by hard surface that reduces the amount of land area available for percolation, especially when there is a lot of groundwater present.
The Index Map GN35 does not show any added information over the last 2 years, not even the Marriott’s Way Link Road between Wroxham Road A1151 and Salhouse Road that has seen considerable in-filling of houses and SuDs lagoons. Even the NDR is not shown. It is appreciated that updating such maps, even though they are insertable will not be a cheap exercise, but a progressive narrative keeping roughly in pace with development surely is essential and this has to focus on hot spots where considerable development is under way, it would be reassuring to know if the well-designed SuDs system adjacent the NDR at the junction of the A1151 is performing well. However, that the situation further ‘upstream’ in Sprowston has been underestimated.
What is very disturbing is not being able to find out what is going on opposite the Wyevale Garden Centre on Blue Boar Lane which is part of the 20080367 Planning Application for the Consortium of developers Persimmon Home, Hopkins Homes and Taylor Wimpey and where the Millard Consulting FRA and SFRA proved so controversial because it was considered flawed. (this was viewed in the context that Millard Consulting also drew up the SFRA for the area) The FRA for Sprowston Park & Ride was flawed as was the FRA done for Home Farm where assessments of 1 in 100 - year risk of flooding were absurdly wrong.
The outfall of drainage passing under Blue Boar Lane at this point is critical and it is worrying that the various attempts to find out what is going on, to establish what design and construction work is taking place to ensure effective drainage is not getting any response. Why is this when such reluctance to share crucial information just fuels suspicion?

In relation to this Blue Boar Lane Development, for which the agents Bidwells produced the Sustainability Appraisal Report in 2006, it refers to Planning Policy Guidance 25 Development & Flood Risk but which is now reinforced with much more specific practical guidance as this GNLP 2020 Consultation Document itself describes. It is to be hoped that this improved guidance has been complied with – can we be assured of this?

This is because the old existing drainage system in Sprowston was never fully understood, and of course the subsequent impact of contiguous developments and the relationship and effectiveness of drainage from these adjacent developments is crucial. And especially considering that the FRA’s and SFRA for this 20080367 evaded the scrutiny Sprowston residents since it was done under Reserved Matters, and this is a worry area regarding propensity to the flooding of existing homes.
It is therefore very timely for a detailed feedback on the effectiveness of measures taken to ensure effective drainage and especially now when there is the added justifiable concerns about climate change that this 2020 Consultation gives more credence to.