Why is flooding being ignored?

Can I add my support to the content of Professor Ian McClaren’s letter and picture in the WSCT of December 3, regarding the flooding at Warnham Nature Reserve on Sunday, November 15.

I am associating a picture (above) that I took on February 16 this year showing the level of flooding with Boldings Brook just north of the A281 in Farthings Hill, parallel with Wildwood, and just before the entrance to Rookwood Park. I sent a copy of this picture to HDC at that time. The same level of flooding took place here again on Sunday, November 15. The water course that he mentions drains into the Warnham Mill Pond.

When the water overtops the sluice gates at the

Warnham Mill Pond a torrent of water rushes down Boldings Brook causing this flooding. This torrent of water undermines the trees adjacent to Boldings Brook. We have had five huge HDC trees come crashing down across the Brook and into our garden since we have lived here. The latest came down on the night of February 15/16 and, although cut back to the Boldings Brook bank, still remains there.

Horsham District Council have already approved the North of Horsham Development and now propose to develop Rookwood Golf Course. As Professor McClaren states ‘it is acknowledged that significant development for housing, with increased Tarmac and concrete surfaces, prevents land from absorbing rainfall, which must find alternative locations for absorption.’

As the North Horsham development has already been approved he continues that ‘this evidence demonstrates emphatically that the proposed Rookwood development should not proceed.’

So there are clear and well documented signs of flooding problems all along this water course and it seems unbelievable that HDC are prepared to ignore all this and put numerous more properties at risk. ALAN LEWIS RookwoodPark Horsham