News Mixed reaction over flood plan
Flood management plans for the river Aire generated mixed feelings at a meeting of Snaith and Cowick Town Council on Monday.
Helen Richardson, team leader of the Environment Agency's catchment flood management plans and Sue O'Neil, the area flood manager, spoke to town councillors and residents about the river Aire Catchment Flood Management Plan (CFMP) and explained its benefits.
The plan is intended to allow the Environment Agency to better understand flood risk now and in the future and identify the most sustainable flood risk management policies for the next 50 to 100 years.
However, Cllr Greta Laughton questioned what work had been carried out in Snaith, which currently does not have any secondary flood banks.
Sue O'Neil said that the risk to Snaith was regarded as fairly low. Work and funds had to be prioritised, she said, adding: "We have been told by the Government to spend the money based on areas with high risk. If people's homes are at great risk of flooding this is where work will be carried out. We are dealing with the entire region and have spent millions improving flood defences in Airmyn and Rawcliffe."
Councillors also questioned what the Agency proposed to do about future housing developments after they were informed that the Snaith area had been identified as wash-land, where flooding from overflowing rivers was likely.
"We want to use the CFMP as a tool and work with planners so they understand that building on wash-land can and will cause problems," said Ms Richardson.
Drafts of the CFMP have gone to council authorities across the region and the Agency had relied on their feedback.
Helen Richardson added: "We need to make sure we are investing our money in the right places to effectively manage flood risks in the future. We need to implement the CFMP so people can live their lives but still be aware of flood risk."
Ms Richardson said that as well as working with organisations such as English Heritage and Yorkshire Water, they were also consulting local authorities so they could work together to plan and take joint action to reduce flood risk.
"The CFMP will include local knowledge about the catchment area so we can see where areas of extreme flood risk are now and in the future," she said.
She also said that the plans, which also looks at factors which can affect flood risk such as climate change, rainfall and sewerage, would not provide answers but give a strategic overview.
A member of the Snaith Drainage Board suggested that Snaith should be worried about the maintenance of current banks. Cllr Caroline Fox, who is ward councillor for Snaith, Airmyn and the Marshlands, suggested that the agency should work with the drainage authority, who could educate them. She also questioned whether Snaith's river banks were maintained as well as they should be.
Ms O'Neil said: "We have no duties to maintain anything. We have been told not to use money to maintain but on places of high risk."
Prospective Goole MP Andrew Percy, who attended the meeting, commented that he thought asking people to adopt a plan before they could see how it worked was a weak idea.
Ms Richardson assured the meeting that the Agency was confident they were heading in the right direction and that the plans would be reviewed every five years and were not set in stone.
"We understand that you want to know answers before you agree, but we are currently setting the approach," she said. " A lot of data and figures have gone into it to ensure we have got the appropriate policy."
Published on 14th August 2008 in News.
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