Outrage over approval of housing

A councillor has hit out at planners’ decision to approve an application for new houses on an area of Southwell effected by last year’s floods.
Southwell flood.
Catharine and Will Haywood who returned home early from a holiday in Cornwall to find their Easthorpe home deep in flood water and mud.Southwell flood.
Catharine and Will Haywood who returned home early from a holiday in Cornwall to find their Easthorpe home deep in flood water and mud.
Southwell flood. Catharine and Will Haywood who returned home early from a holiday in Cornwall to find their Easthorpe home deep in flood water and mud.

Newark and Sherwood District Council’s planning committee approved the plans for four two-bedroomed houses at Easthorpe despite concerns that nearby Potwell Dyke Close was badly effected by flooding in July last year.

Julian Hamilton, Newark and Sherwood District Councillor for Southwell, said: “The problem is that Southwell Town Council was not satisfied enough was done to calculate the effect of flooding.

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“Here we have a situation where houses have been flooded behind and in front of the development.

“We are concerned about whether additional buildings should be built because the ground area would be bigger than that of the two bungalows currently standing there.

“I was seriously concerned as to whether additional housing would contribute to further damage to houses around the planned area.”

A number of other bodies were consulted on the plans. Trent Valley Internal Drainage Board had no objections but was concerned that surface water runoff from the development must not be increased.

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Martin Russell, senior planner at Newark and Sherwood District Council, said: “In reaching its decision the council attached a condition to the planning consent in accordance with the advice of the county council’s flood team to ensure the proposed development is carried out in accordance with the findings of its drainage report.”