Widmerpool
REMOVAL OF FAIRHAM BROOK WEIR. The question of whether to remove the Fairham Brook weir in Widmerpool as a means to tackle a flooding problem is being considered, and the parish council have received a report from Nottingham County Council on the current situation.
The weir in question is situated adjacent to Old Hall
Drive, in the Fairham Brook which is a tributary of the River Trent.
Callum Smith, principal officer - Flood Risk Management for the County, says he has checked the Environment Agency’s River Maps, and finds the Fairham Brook is not designated as main river and therefore is classified as a Ordinary Watercourse.
“In regards to the maintenance requirements of an Ordinary Watercourse this falls to what is referred to as the ‘Riparian Owners’ , he says.
Mr Smith has explained that the legal definition of a riparian owner is “anyone who owns a property or land where there is a watercourse within or adjacent to the boundaries of their property and a watercourse includes a river, stream or ditch. A riparian owner is also responsible for watercourses or culverted watercourses passing through their land”
The officer, who visited the village and the area concerned to meet parish council representatives, says while they are the Lead Local Flood Authority and have a responsibility to manage the risk of flooding within the county they do not manage the watercourses themselves, saying this is down to the individual owners.
“Our remit involves providing guidance and advice and working with these relevant landowners to help understand the work that may be needed. With all that in mind however, there are some additional points I wish to cover.
“The main crux of the meeting surrounded the opportunity to remove the Weir situated within the watercourse. I have had a look at the downstream conditions of the watercourse, in addition to understanding the lay of the land and the current condition of the installed Weir. In my opinion I do not see any major concerns with removing the weir, however, this comes with a few points of which will need to be clarified before this can be moved forward.
“As the Lead Local Flood Authority, should anyone wish to go the process of amending an existing watercourse legal consent is required as I explained on site. This is a process stipulated by the Land Drainage Act and as such must be followed when anyone wishes to undertake work. This process will have to be met in order to remove any assets within the watercourse.
“Additionally I have one concern regarding the levels of the watercourse, should the Weir be removed there will be a 2/3ft unnatural drop which will need to be adjusted.
“Additionally we will need confirmation that all surrounding landowners are happy with the removal of the structure, for example if the additional water is likely to be on third party land, are they satisfied that their land during heavy events may become saturated with flood waters.
“The work will have to be carried out by the adjacent landowner as part of their riparian responsibilities, however should the community wish to assist them this would be acceptable to the process,” said Mr Smith.