Flooding fears over new Shrewsbury housing scheme
Concerns about the prospect of flooding have been raised over a planned new housing development in Shrewsbury.
Shropshire Homes has put in plans to build 42 new properties on land east of Woodcote Way in Monkmoor.
But Councillor Miles Kenny and local residents have cited fears that the proposed site will be prone to frequent flooding.
Councillor Kenny said he believes the location of the planned development and the access road to it could be liable to flooding.
"The long access road will most likely flood leaving motorists stranded or parking in Dale Road, much to the inconvenience to Dale Road residents. The access road will be undermined by the flooding and the bill for the repair picked up by the taxpayer," he said.
"The houses on the proposed site will be on the so-called 100-year-plus flood line, which means they will be close to less exceptional flood levels eroding the foundations – insurers either load the premiums or do not insure."
Residents have voiced similar concerns.
In a letter to Shropshire Council planners, Jeremy Wigglesworth said: "This area is a floodplain. We have lived here for 40 years and have witnessed varying degrees of flooding."
In the design and access statement for the site, developers said houses could be built to take account of the flood risk.
Among the documents submitted by the developers is a flood risk analysis of the site that was carried out in October 2011 which identified a 'range of flood risks' for the site. But it added the development would be made to deal with everything up to the most extreme flooding.
"The development will be designed to safely manage flooding depths and velocities up to a 1,000-year event, with access and exit routes appropriately located," it said.
