Campaigners concern at Vearse Farm Foundry Lea after floods

The banks of the River Simene burst last week after torrential rain hit rivers that were already high following previous rain and Storm Ciarán. 

The extent of the flooding and its impact on what was Vearse Farm, now called Foundry Lea, has sparked fresh concern from campaigners who say plans that were approved in 2012 are 'no longer appropriate' in 2023 due to climate change.

Barry Bates, who is part of the group Advearse, said: "We know the site itself won't flood, but it's the ongoing impact of the sudden rush of water into narrow rivers that have nowhere to go and with high tide - there's going to be trouble there. A friend compared the flooding to the Amazon the other day."

The Foundry Lea development for 760 homes hasn't been without controversy and there have been various concerns from campaigners about the location of the site since planning permission was first approved. 

One of the reasons for this is the fear of flooding to the newly-built homes in the area. 

Dorset Council's western area planning committee was asked to revise the size of three drainage ponds on the site back in May before construction could start.
 

An open letter addressed to the council from Advearse said: "We are grateful that the latest proposals for surface water management at Foundry Lea have been opened for public consultation.

The group admit that the changes are 'minor' and are hard to object to, although raised questions on the surface water management plan, raised in the report by the Flood Risk Engineer of the site, calling it 'concerning.'

The report, published on November 15 says that 'no development shall take place until details of maintenance and management of surface water, sustainable drainage scheme, and any receiving system have been submitted to and approved in writing by the local planning authority.'

Campaigners from Advearse said: "This week we have disruptive floods in West Dorset. These confirm the fears of the impact of climate change. Whilst these were not confined to Vearse Farm they do highlight the concerns that have been expressed since 2012 about the threat downstream from run off from this massive site."

The campaigners went on to say that Taylor Wimpey cited this as one reason as to why they considered the site inappropriate for large scale development.

According to the campaigners, Wessex Water have not responded to their requests for details in to how they will manage the extra demand created by sewage and run off.

They said: "It is not clear that the plans reflect the updated flood risk projections of the Environment Agency which featured in the Bridport News earlier this year.

"Local residents are unlikely to be reassured by the rebuttals from LRM Planning who are after all engaged by the developers.

Campaigners have called for an independent review from the Environment Agency, and have asked the Planning Committee to accept the recommendation to include the conditions in any approval notice and ensure that the condition is met in full, before development commences.

"There is flooding everywhere, that's true, but where the run-off goes and how it will be managed is the concern," said Mr Bates.

A Wessex Water spokesperson said: "Drainage systems carrying floodwater are often interconnected so we work closely with local councils, who are responsible for highway drains, and others to help when flooding occurs and advise on how future flood risk can be managed."

A spokesperson for the Foundry Lea development said: "In partnership with Dorset Council and the Environment Agency we have worked hard to bring forward plans for a development that will not increase flooding levels on-site.

"The roads and bridges in and out of the site will be constructed at levels advised by the local authority following submission of detailed flood models on water management and sustainable drainage," they added. 

The spokesperson went on to say that the recent heavy rainfall and flooding in Bridport has not delayed any part of their project timetable.