Written by The Flood Risk Assessment (FRA) is now available on the Fife Council Planning website for the proposed Broomfield Place / Millburn Place affordable housing development. Check it out here.
First off the community is disappointed that we weren’t consulted on the FRA, especially as FFAG had made a request for local consultation. As a community we have built up extensive knowledge of the local water courses and areas that flood since August 2008.
We’re also disappointed that little consideration appears to have been given to the flood risk downstream of the development, especially so at Freuchie Mill. The FRA does not appear to demonstrate a key SEPA and planning principle of not making flooding worse elsewhere.
There is also some contradiction between the information contained within this report and the Freuchie Mill report done last year. We’ll be taking this up with Fife Council to gain insight to the true state of flood risk.
Finally, the flood prevention scheme being proposed brings welcome protection to properties around about the development site, including Broomfield Place, Church Street, Millburn Place and The Feus, but it may put Fortharfield, Shiels Avenue and Freuchie Mill Road at higher risk from flooding and almost certainly will bring more frequent and/or intense flooding to Freuchie Mill.
A follow-up objection response from FFAG has been sent into Fife Council Development Services. Should appear on the planning application website in a day or so.
One final thought: two “studies” (term is used in its most generic sense) have now been completed for Freuchie and both have revealed areas at high risk from flooding. How many more times must Freuchie experience flooding before a full flood study is carried out?
Technorati Tags: Broomfield Place, Fife Council, FFAG, flood, flooding, Fortharfield, Freuchie, Freuchie Mill, Millburn Place, planning, SEPA, Shiels Avenue
It seems as if ‘the management’ are content to bury their heads in the sand. After all, it doesn’t affect their £500k+ homes does it?
“If you must have flood defences, fine, build them in to the development but as cheap as possible”
It seems very much a case of ‘screw everyone else downstream’.
Looking at this and the other current sites under development, the developer seems to me very suspect indeed…
I really think we are on our own as far as substantial flood defences for Freuchie Mill are concerned. The council have done as much as they can with their limited budget, the new drains on FM road.
Kingdom Housing seem content to dither (something they do very well) on preceding with the culvert modification/addition works.
We’re coming up on two years since ‘the great flood’ and all they have done is shore up the damage done to the outflow and reconnect the already existing diversion pipe. (AFAIK).
I must again mention my appreciation for John and FFAG for the work that you are undertaking to try and get something done for us here in Freuchie Mill. The webcams and the weather station are very much appreciated. I know they wont stop a flood happening but at least we can now at least perhaps see it coming now.
Thanks for the kind words.
The proposed development flood prevention scheme would actually be welcomed by FFAG if something is done to deal with the Millwaters discharge at Freuchie Mill. If the developers could come up with a proposal to sort out this source of water then we’d have no argument and flooding would not be an issue with this development.
Interestingly the surface drainage improvements came out of the road drainage budget, not the flooding budget. It is a real fear that flooding will be totally under resourced as the austerity cuts really start to bite. Hopefully our councillors, along with councillors from other flood hit communities, will make the case to at least maintain or increase the budget for flooding.
You could well be right about us as a community having to do more for ourselves. It is just so damn expensive to do the admin work before a single piece of physical work is actually done.
The data from the weather station and the webcams do indeed make it easier to predict danger come down from the skies!