Trees and Waterways Committee report to meeting on 16 July 2003

1. Following three working parties the brook clearance is now well in to the second field downstream of the pumping station. Pictures of the brook before the clearance exercise started have been sent to Pat Matthews at the DC.
2. The Highways Department has given verbal approval to the planting of a limited number of trees in Brook Street. Written confirmation is awaited.
3. Pat Matthews, District Council Drainage Manager, has said that he is supportive of the application of funding towards the surveys. He will be recommending that the DC contribute 25% (£1,600). Formal confirmation of the application will take another 6-8 weeks.
4. As requested by Pat Matthews a copy of the CV and tender document of one of the engineers have been sent to him.
5. Letters have been drafted to go to both the CCC and the Environment Agency advising them of the support of the DC and asking them to reconsider their support towards the surveys.
6. The Environment Agency has written confirming that the proposal for the sluice area was as discussed and that those plans should `improve flows significantly'. Atkins have visited but have yet to submit their report.
7. The CCC have advised that the Fardell's Lane culvert will be done in the next two months but have as yet to share any design plans.
8. A meeting has been held with the Environment Agency, a representative of the British Insurance Association and Andrew Lansley MP. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the concerns about the designation of part of the village as flood plain - with the attendant difficulties of obtaining insurance cover. In the course of the meeting it was established that the brook had been included on a draft list of Critical Ordinary Watercourses (COWS) - along with another 750 km of waterway in the Central region. As a COW the brook would come under the responsibility of the Environment Agency. The practical problems, however, are that the list is draft and the Environment Agency has neither the resources nor funding to take on these added responsibilities and any work would be assessed on a national basis. Moreover, the redesignation and transfer of responsibilities is unlikely to take place before 2005 and the main watercourses will continue to take precedence. The representative of the Environment Agency therefore said that it would be in the long term that any improvement works would be undertaken and without staff and funding little will happen. Subsequent to the meeting Pat Matthews of SCDC was of the view that while the Environment Agency will have responsibility the work will probably be done by the DC's. The Environment Agency suggested that the Parish prompt the local authority to organise a new survey of the indicative flood plain, explaining all the works that had been done.
9. The Environment Agency has been asked to provide information about the flood event in 1993 - i.e. whether this was a 100 or 150 year event. No houses were flooded on that occasion.
10. A further meeting has been held with Dawson's regarding then dredging of the brook. We await their revised quote.