South Abingdon residents form group to fight building plans on flood plain.
12:32pm Tuesday 3rd March 2009
RESIDENTS in south Abingdon have vowed to fight a proposal to earmark land close to a floodplain for the building of 1,500 homes.
They have formed an action group – South Abingdon For Expansion [should read - Save Abingdon From Expansion] – to oppose the Vale of White Horse District Council’s bid for a new housing estate on fields to the west of Drayton Road.
Concerns have been voiced by the group that the move would increase the risk of flooding to nearby homes. Local roads would also become congested, they claim.
Homes in the area were some of the worst hit during the July 2007 floods. According to the Environment Agency, 433 homes and 21 businesses in the town were flooded.
The latest plans are part of the district council’s draft development framework, which sets out where 11,560 new homes could be built over the next 17 years. It also suggests an alternative plan – to build the 1,500 new homes in north east Wantage.
Suzy Grimwood, 34, of Byron Close, lives next to the fields proposed for development. She said: “The field that is next to us is flooded pretty much permanently. We need places around Abingdon that will soak up the water.”
Lawrence Impey, of Mill Road, said: “Some of the houses that are proposed would be very near the level that is flooded. We are concerned about the run off to the River Ock, which is just upstream of Abingdon.”
Environment Agency spokesman Narinder Bansal told the Herald that although nearby Mill Road was on a floodplain, it was a low-risk area.
The district council has said it would use money generated from the development to build a southern relief road. But protest group member John Phillpott, 68, of Mill Road, said: “The general feeling is that 1,500 homes would bring 2,000 cars.
“We just can’t cope with another 2,000 cars on Drayton Road.”
Neighbour Ian Field, 54, said: “We are concerned about the increased traffic connected with these houses.”
Nigel Winter, of Masefield Crescent, said: “Getting into the town from south Abingdon should be a five-minute run in the car, but can take 20 minutes or more.
“The traffic is unacceptable at the moment. I am convinced that if you build 1,500 houses, even if you construct a relief road, the traffic problems will be worse.”
County councillor Michael Badcock said: “A lot of heartache and worry has been caused to south Abingdon residents by these irresponsible proposals, particularly to those whose homes were flooded.”
District councillor Richard Webber said: “We understand that there will be strong feelings on this issue, and that if development is to take place anywhere, it should be based on the best possible arguments.
“There is no intention to build on the flood plain and traffic issues would have to be resolved before any development permission was granted.”
The action group has commissioned a planning consultant to produce a report, detailing why Abingdon should not be included in any future development.
SAFE was formed at a meeting last Thursday. More than 160 people, who attended, were told the deadline for the public consultation was extended until this Friday.
