The Environment Agency has issued five flood warnings for the Bedford Borough after rainwater runoff from storms at the weekend and further rainfall continues to swell the River Great Ouse and other local waterways.
While National Highways deal with flooding on the A421 and Bedford Borough Council works hard to help locals affected by other floods, some Bedfordians say these floods justify their fears that more is to come if planners don’t take their concerns seriously.
The five areas with a flood warning, meaning flooding is expected include,
- Areas close to the River Great Ouse at Wyboston, Eaton Socon, Eynesbury, Eaton Ford, and St Neots
- Low-lying areas close to the River Great Ouse at Bedford
- River Great Ouse at Harrold
- River Great Ouse at Odell
- River Great Ouse at Turvey
There are also two further flood alerts in Bedford Borough, which means flooding is possible.
- Middle River Great Ouse in Milton Keynes, Bedford Borough and Central Bedfordshire
- River Great Ouse in Central Bedfordshire, Bedford Borough and Cambridgeshire from Wyboston to Brampton
The Met Office has also issued an amber weather warning for the area until tomorrow (Friday) saying heavy rain is likely to cause flooding and transport disruption this evening and overnight.
Fears of more flooding
The recent floods, along with further flood warnings and weather alerts, have stoked the fears of some Bedfordians who say there will be an increase in flooding if planners at Bedford Borough Council approve developments on floodplains.
Read: National Highways admits A421 will be closed for “several days” to clear 60 million litres of flood water
The Protect Kempston’s Flood Plain campaign group have posted a number of photos and videos to highlight the rising water near residential areas in and around Kempstin rural in a bid to justify their concerns.
Their main concern surrounds the proposed building of an evangelical church on a field next to the River Great Ouse which is designated as a ‘level 2’ floodplain.
In a letter to the Bedford Independent in February, Lorna Ogle who lives on Church Walk in Kempston said that in just a few months after Christmas there had been several floods.
‘Kempston has suffered three separate flood events since Christmas, and any building on the floodplain would exacerbate this. Residents of Church Walk and Water Lane were trapped in their homes by flood water and some were unable to get to work,’ she wrote.
Read: Concerns new evangelical church could increase flooding in Kempston
Now, locals have taken to social media to express their heightened concerns.
One local commenting on the campaign group’s Facebook group wrote, ‘Imagine Kempston’s cemetery road without it’s (sic) natural water defence from the river. Imagine flooding without a flood plain in place and any pumping stations unable to cope like the one near the A421
‘This is a major reason of many different reasons why the flood plain development is such a terribly unwise proposition… Common sense really really has to prevail’
The proposed development by Grace Church, which includes 79 houses alongside a community centre, received 350 objections from the public and multiple objections from consultants.
The planning approval decision was due in March but this was extended to 31 October leaving local people in limbo waiting to see what will happen to what they say is Bedford’s last flood plain.
‘All the recent building in the area has made the flooding more severe by constraining the existing floodplain. Residents fear that this proposed scheme will make flooding even worse, to the detriment of the existing homes.’ continued Ms Ogle in her February letter.
Today, Cllr James Valentine (Labour/Kempston West), who has strongly opposed the Grace Church plans has also posted several images highlight concerns about an increase in flooding.
“It’s only September – but flooding in Kempston West is as bad as ever. The river path is inaccessible from King William Close and some gardens are flooded.
“Water Lane and Church Walk are flooded and the river is running over Kempston Mill Bridge. For now, the High Street is clear and water in the Spinney is down.”
Strong objections
Back in February, Cllr Valentine and Bedford MP Mohammad Yasin both expressed concerns at a public meeting about the Grace Church plans.
Cllr Valentine said: “I have appealed to Grace time and again not to proceed with this application, which I knew would divide the community. But they’ve gone ahead regardless, and people are very angry.”
Mohammad Yasin MP, added, “Building on the floodplain is unnecessary as this housing will be in excess of the planned developments under the Council’s local plan. It would only serve to put residents at further risk [of flooding].”
However, some have defended the plans, which Grace Community Church (GCC) says will bring benefits to the whole community.
They propose a new not-for-profit Community Hub on Riverside Meadow, Kempston and residential development on land northeast of Cemetery Road, Kempston in a hybrid planning application.
The hub would become the new home of GCC, with space for the church to expand, which they say will build upon its legacy of community work in the Kempston and Bedford area for the last 50 years.
Balliol School head teacher, Louise Youngman, said that the school community found the support provided by Grace Community Church to be “invaluable”.
She said: “Often families come to us for support in times of crisis and knowing that [Grace Community Church is] there to support with the resources that they are able to access, ensures that we are able to direct them successfully and that they can access the support that they
need.
“Our families regularly access; The Net, Well Woman, CAP, The Shed, ESOL classes and the Foodbank, the need for which is constantly rising.”
Grace Church has also rejected claims their development is a flood risk claiming to have worked with the Environment Agency (EA) to confirm that their development is “at low risk of flooding and will not increase flood risk downstream of the site”.
The Bedford Independent asked Bedford Borough Council if their planning officers and the planning committee will be taking recent flooding into consideration when making decisions about proposed developments.
A spokesperson replied, “The Council does not comment on live planning applications.
“However, we can confirm that we seek the views of all statutory consultees, including the Environment Agency and the Lead Local Flood Authority, as part of the application assessment process.”