Campaigners call for photos to help in flooding fight
CAMPAIGNERS fighting plans for thousands of new homes in North Somerset are urging people to take pictures of flooding - to highlight the dangers of building on already waterlogged land.
Churchill and Langford Residents Action Group (CALRAG) is fighting plans included in North Somerset Council’s draft Local Plan 2036 to build a new garden village of 2,800 homes on land on the northern outskirts of the two villages.
The new garden village will be known as Mendip Springs and is also included in the Joint Spatial Plan (JSP), a planning blueprint which sets out how the Bristol region will develop over the next two decades.
Proposals included in the JSP will feed into North Somerset’s Joint Local plan. The JSP, which was submitted to the Government by all four West of England authorities earlier this year, is now in the hands of two independent Government inspectors for consideration with a public examination due to take place next summer.
But campaigners say the plans for the new garden village have not taken into consideration issues with flooding which leaves parts of Churchill and Langford reguarly under water.
And they claim by building thousands of new homes on already waterlogged land will only exacerbate the current problems.
Often roads - including at the junction of the A368 and A38 - are left impassable when heavy rain hits due to water running off the neighbouring Mendip Hills.
The Langford Brook also often overtops, causing water to flood into local fields and roads and sewage into residents gardens.
Churchill and Langford Residents Action Group co chairman Jan Murray said: “Flooding is a big issue here in Churchill.
“Parts of Churchill and Langford are known as ‘The Rushies’ or ‘Duck Lane’ and of course ‘Mendip Spring’
“The reason for such names is obvious to residents - waterlogged ground - but not to North Somerset Council.
“In bad weather and when the water runs off the Mendip Hills, many roads are left impassable by flood water.
“Concreting over land to build houses will just increase the issues with flooding as the water has to go somewhere.”
Campaigners also say that the authority is wrong to be consulting on the garden village plan as part of its draft local plan as the development has yet to be agreed in the Joint Spatial Plan (JSP).
“It’s inappropriate to be consulting on this development when it has not been approved in the JSP,” added Mrs Murray.
The campaign group is now asking local people to share their photos of flooding to highlight the issues both villages face.