Flooding leaves householder, 70, close to tears
A DERBY man has blamed a controversial housing development for flooding his garden and leaving him close to tears.
Gerry Flood found his backyard waterlogged on Thursday after heavy rain and believes the issue was caused by poor drainage from Miller Homes’ Kedleston Grange site at the top of his land.
Large puddles submerged the grass outside his home in Somme Road, Allestree, leaving it in a dire state.
Mr Flood claimed this was caused by a water build-up at Kedleston Grange that had seeped through on to his land.
He said he was shaken up by the flooding and was worried that more rain could bring further damage.
He said: “When I saw it I thought I was going to have a heart attack, I was nearly in tears. I’m worried sick that it could get worse.
“My main thought was, ‘what if there’s heavier rain and it reaches the house?’ It’s horrible to even think about.”
Mr Flood claimed he had received little communication from Miller Homes before development work took place, leaving him without time to prepare for any potential water issues and take steps to stop flooding.
“I feel like I’ve been left to fend for myself really, it’s like I’ve been bullied,” the 70-year-old claimed. “I just want some help to try and stop it before it gets worse and does some real damage.”
The Kedleston Grange development was strongly opposed by local campaign group Kedleston Voice for more than five years. It was concerned about possible flooding implications the development could have, as well as its impact on local services.
However, after a drawn-out debate which included High Court proceedings, planning permission was given for 400 houses to be built.
Derbyshire County Council said it was happy that the planning procedure had been followed as required.
A council spokesman said: “We are aware of the issues the residents of Somme Road are having with drainage and are working with Amber Valley Borough Council and the developers to manage them. We were consulted on the proposals for managing surface water on the development when the planning application was received by Amber Valley Borough Council and we were satisfied that they adhered to all current guidelines.”
Miller Homes claimed that it was not to blame for the flooding. Instead, it blamed a blockage in a ditch which was not on its land. It said fixing this blockage was the responsibility of “other local property owners to maintain”.
A spokesman said: “We are aware of the problem regarding waterlogging in the Allestree area which has also affected our development. This follows heavy rain and, in part, is due to the blockage in a downstream ditch which sits outside the boundary of our development and is the responsibility of Mr Flood and other local property owners to maintain.”
The spokesman also insisted the company had been in communication with Mr Flood.
He said: “We have spoken to Mr Flood about both issues and offered assistance to help resolve the situation, including offering to help with the maintenance of the ditch.
“A flood risk assessment was carried out as part of the planning process for Kedleston Grange. This was assessed and approved by Amber Valley Borough Council in consultation with the lead local flood authority, which in this case is Derbyshire County Council.
“Our team is delivering the development in line with these requirements. This does rely on neighbouring water outlets being properly maintained and Derbyshire County Council is aware of the obstructions in the ditch.”