Cove Brook floods
Keith Parkins | 27.07.2007 17:18 | Climate Chaos | Ecology | Social Struggles
The recent flooding of properties alongside Cove Brook was inexcusable and avoidable. That they did flood was thanks to the arrogance of the ruling cabal at the Rotten Borough of Rushmoor.
flooded golf course winter 2001/2002
'The forecast on Thursday was for huge rainfall the next day. Why didn't we get the sandbags on Thursday evening?' -- Lynda Hodges, local resident
'We would encourage residents to consider providing their own flood defences and take the necessary precautions to protect their homes.' -- Andrew Lloyd, chief executive, Rotten Borough of Rushmoor
The flooding of businesses and residential properties alongside Cove Brook, whilst nowhere on the scale of the flooding seen elsewhere in the country, is indicative of what is wrong and the lessons that need to be learnt.
Cove Brook rises in the hills to the west of Farnborough Airport. It drains these hills, flows through Farnborough Airport, through Southwood Golf Course, through Cove (a part of Farnborough), then into the Blackwater River.
When planning application was made some years ago for Farnborough Airport, an application the Rotten Borough of Rushmoor rubber stamped, paying no heed to the concerns of local residents, the focus was on noise and safety, but there was another problem, the increased risk of flooding from Cove Brook, due to the extra water that was to be discharged into the brook.
Part of the planning application for Farnborough Airport, was for tens of thousands of mature pine trees to be cut down on the hills to the west of Farnborough Airport. The trees were seen as a safety hazard as they projected into the flight path.
As a consequence of the loss of tree cover, when the hills were saturated, the water would run off very rapidly and into Cover Brook.
Cove Brook flows through Farnborough Airport.
This led to the next stage of the planning application, increased drainage at Farnborough Airport to stop the runway flooding. This put those downstream at greater risk of flooding.
There was already a problem of Southwood Golf Course flooding (in the winter it turns into a lake) and the road road between the airport and the golf course being submerged under water.
The solution to the road flooding was to put massive pipes under the road, increasing the existing capacity and flow rate possibly ten fold.
No attempt was made to actually dealt with the cause of the flooding.
The Council was warned at the time of the consequences and the risks for those downstream, but the arrogant councillors and their officials thought they knew better.
The golf course was now under water during the winter, causing loss of revenue for the golf course.
The solution was to put in drainage at the golf course, putting at further risk those living and working downstream.
Cutting of drainage channels commenced, but fortunately such was the outcry, the Rotten Borough of Rushmoor backed down. Had they not backed down, the recent flooding would have been much worse.
Last year, it was again suggested the golf course be drained!
As a recent correspondent pointed out in the Farnborough News, we are reaping the rewards of past crass planning decisions. Too many properties are being built on flood plains. He was speaking of neighbouring Fleet, but his comments would apply equally to Farnborough, and indeed to many other parts of the country.
Alongside Cove Brook, properties were built on a flood plain. It was an area that was known to be prone to flooding.
A problem that has now been made far worse by the work done to safeguard Farnborough Airport.
A buffer area, far to small, was set aside as a flood plain. This was then developed as Southwood Golf Course.
Those living and working alongside Cove Brook, are now reaping the rewards of other people's crass stupidity.
We have been subjected to the unedifying spectacle of the leader of the Lib-Dem group cutting short his holiday and dashing home. Quite what for other than to wring his hands and shed crocodile tears. His hypocricy all too self-evident. He was told at the time what the impact would be of the work to Farnborough Airport.
Rotten Borough of Rushmoor chief executive Andrew Lloyd demonstrated his usual arrogant contempt for the local community by blaming them for not taking appropriate precautions to protect themselves.
Lloyd also delivered a public rebuke to the leader of the Lib-Dem group for daring to criticise the piss-poor performance of the Council. Lloyd has yet to get his head round the fact that one of the roles of councillors is to criticise his piss-poor performance, which begs the question: who runs the council, the councillors or a cabal of senior officials including Lloyd and a handful of councillors?
It was widely known on the Thursday that there was to be exceptionally heavy rain on the Friday, and yet no attempt was made by the council to protect vulnerable properties, and when attempts were made, it was too little too late.
Clearly no lessons have been learnt, either locally or nationally.
We have to stop building on flood plains. We do not just put those homes at risk, we exacerbate the problem for those living downstream.
Flood plains are there for a reason. They help to soak up excess capacity. Without flood plains, we simply transfer the problem downstream.
We have to do everything possible to retain the water locally, to slow its movement downstream.
It is not the amount of water falling, it is the rate at which it falls.
For the last few years we have had drought, now we have floods.
If each property stored its rainwater locally, that helps in time of drought, helps to slow the rate of flow downstream.
We need to reduce the rate of runoff from properties, to direct any surplus water into the ground where it helps to recharge our depleted underground aquifers.
Building on gardens makes the situation worse. It increases the rate of surface water runoff. There are many other disadvantages, for example loss of wildlife, climate stabilisation etc etc.
Gardens should no longer be classified as 'brown field sites', which currently they are due to anomalies in the planning regulations.
Time and time again, locally people have drawn attention to what is happening (described as creating a concrete jungle), of the dangers posed, but every time their views are ignored.
Contrast the ill-thought through flood defences in the Rotten Borough of Rushmoor with Curitiba, where public land is set aside for flooding, when it rains the ground becomes a little boggy, the ducks float a few feet higher, but people don't get flooded out of their homes.
Website
http://www.heureka.clara.net/surrey-hants/
References
Lester R Brown, Plan B 2.0, Norton, 2006
Pete Castle, 'Town is a concrete jungle', Farnborough New, 13 July 2007
http://www.farnborough.co.uk/news/2012/2012690/town_is_a_concrete_jungle
Cove counts cost of flooding, Farnborough Mail, 24 July 2007
Nigel Dudley and Sue Stolton, Running Pure: The importance of forest protected areas to drinking water, World Bank/WWF Alliance for Forest Conservation and Sustainable Use, August 2003
Lindsey Eudo-Mitchell, Council's golf course irrigation 'may cause floods': Facility should become a community park, Farnborough News, 14 April 2006
Kate Evans, Funny Weather, Myriad Editions, 2006
http://www.heureka.clara.net/books/funny-weather.htm
Fears as floods loom in new areas, BBC news on-line, 25 July 2007
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6914876.stm
Flood crisis grows as rivers rise, BBC news on-line, 23 July 2007
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6911226.stm
Flood crisis operation launched, BBC news on-line, 24 July 2007
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6913752.stm
Paul Hawken, Amory B Lovins & L Hunter Lovins, Natural Capitalism, Earthscan, 1999
Paul Kingsnorth, High Tide, The Ecologist Blog, 26 July 2007
http://www.theecologist.org/blog_full.asp?blog_detail_id=166
John Lidstone, Council will not learn lessons from past flooding, letters, Farnborough News, 27 July 2007
Marcus Mabberley, Council 'too slow to help us', Farnborough News, 27 July 2007
Keith Parkins, Curitiba - Designing a sustainable city, April 2006
http://www.heureka.clara.net/gaia/curitiba.htm
Keith Parkins, Curitiba – Designing a sustainable city, Biotech Indymedia, 5 April 2006
http://biotech.indymedia.org/or/2006/04/5036.shtml
Keith Parkins, Council increases risk of flooding, Indymedia UK, 7 April 2006
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2006/04/337799.html
Keith Parkins, Water shortages, Indymedia UK, 13 April 2006
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2006/04/338215.html
Keith Parkins, Gardens under threat, Indymedia UK, 26 March 2007
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2007/03/366232.html
Keith Parkins, Who runs your local council?, Indymedia UK, 16 July 2007
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2007/07/376272.html
'Show-off 4x4 drivers didn't help', Farnborough News, 27 July 2007
Two dead after flooding accident, BBC news on-line, 26 July 2007
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6916774.stm
Ernst von Weizsacker, Amory B Lovins & L Hunter Lovins, Factor Four: Doubling Wealth, Halving Resource Use, Earthscan, 1997
'We would encourage residents to consider providing their own flood defences and take the necessary precautions to protect their homes.' -- Andrew Lloyd, chief executive, Rotten Borough of Rushmoor
The flooding of businesses and residential properties alongside Cove Brook, whilst nowhere on the scale of the flooding seen elsewhere in the country, is indicative of what is wrong and the lessons that need to be learnt.
Cove Brook rises in the hills to the west of Farnborough Airport. It drains these hills, flows through Farnborough Airport, through Southwood Golf Course, through Cove (a part of Farnborough), then into the Blackwater River.
When planning application was made some years ago for Farnborough Airport, an application the Rotten Borough of Rushmoor rubber stamped, paying no heed to the concerns of local residents, the focus was on noise and safety, but there was another problem, the increased risk of flooding from Cove Brook, due to the extra water that was to be discharged into the brook.
Part of the planning application for Farnborough Airport, was for tens of thousands of mature pine trees to be cut down on the hills to the west of Farnborough Airport. The trees were seen as a safety hazard as they projected into the flight path.
As a consequence of the loss of tree cover, when the hills were saturated, the water would run off very rapidly and into Cover Brook.
Cove Brook flows through Farnborough Airport.
This led to the next stage of the planning application, increased drainage at Farnborough Airport to stop the runway flooding. This put those downstream at greater risk of flooding.
There was already a problem of Southwood Golf Course flooding (in the winter it turns into a lake) and the road road between the airport and the golf course being submerged under water.
The solution to the road flooding was to put massive pipes under the road, increasing the existing capacity and flow rate possibly ten fold.
No attempt was made to actually dealt with the cause of the flooding.
The Council was warned at the time of the consequences and the risks for those downstream, but the arrogant councillors and their officials thought they knew better.
The golf course was now under water during the winter, causing loss of revenue for the golf course.
The solution was to put in drainage at the golf course, putting at further risk those living and working downstream.
Cutting of drainage channels commenced, but fortunately such was the outcry, the Rotten Borough of Rushmoor backed down. Had they not backed down, the recent flooding would have been much worse.
Last year, it was again suggested the golf course be drained!
As a recent correspondent pointed out in the Farnborough News, we are reaping the rewards of past crass planning decisions. Too many properties are being built on flood plains. He was speaking of neighbouring Fleet, but his comments would apply equally to Farnborough, and indeed to many other parts of the country.
Alongside Cove Brook, properties were built on a flood plain. It was an area that was known to be prone to flooding.
A problem that has now been made far worse by the work done to safeguard Farnborough Airport.
A buffer area, far to small, was set aside as a flood plain. This was then developed as Southwood Golf Course.
Those living and working alongside Cove Brook, are now reaping the rewards of other people's crass stupidity.
We have been subjected to the unedifying spectacle of the leader of the Lib-Dem group cutting short his holiday and dashing home. Quite what for other than to wring his hands and shed crocodile tears. His hypocricy all too self-evident. He was told at the time what the impact would be of the work to Farnborough Airport.
Rotten Borough of Rushmoor chief executive Andrew Lloyd demonstrated his usual arrogant contempt for the local community by blaming them for not taking appropriate precautions to protect themselves.
Lloyd also delivered a public rebuke to the leader of the Lib-Dem group for daring to criticise the piss-poor performance of the Council. Lloyd has yet to get his head round the fact that one of the roles of councillors is to criticise his piss-poor performance, which begs the question: who runs the council, the councillors or a cabal of senior officials including Lloyd and a handful of councillors?
It was widely known on the Thursday that there was to be exceptionally heavy rain on the Friday, and yet no attempt was made by the council to protect vulnerable properties, and when attempts were made, it was too little too late.
Clearly no lessons have been learnt, either locally or nationally.
We have to stop building on flood plains. We do not just put those homes at risk, we exacerbate the problem for those living downstream.
Flood plains are there for a reason. They help to soak up excess capacity. Without flood plains, we simply transfer the problem downstream.
We have to do everything possible to retain the water locally, to slow its movement downstream.
It is not the amount of water falling, it is the rate at which it falls.
For the last few years we have had drought, now we have floods.
If each property stored its rainwater locally, that helps in time of drought, helps to slow the rate of flow downstream.
We need to reduce the rate of runoff from properties, to direct any surplus water into the ground where it helps to recharge our depleted underground aquifers.
Building on gardens makes the situation worse. It increases the rate of surface water runoff. There are many other disadvantages, for example loss of wildlife, climate stabilisation etc etc.
Gardens should no longer be classified as 'brown field sites', which currently they are due to anomalies in the planning regulations.
Time and time again, locally people have drawn attention to what is happening (described as creating a concrete jungle), of the dangers posed, but every time their views are ignored.
Contrast the ill-thought through flood defences in the Rotten Borough of Rushmoor with Curitiba, where public land is set aside for flooding, when it rains the ground becomes a little boggy, the ducks float a few feet higher, but people don't get flooded out of their homes.
Website
http://www.heureka.clara.net/surrey-hants/ References
Lester R Brown, Plan B 2.0, Norton, 2006
Pete Castle, 'Town is a concrete jungle', Farnborough New, 13 July 2007
http://www.farnborough.co.uk/news/2012/2012690/town_is_a_concrete_jungle Cove counts cost of flooding, Farnborough Mail, 24 July 2007
Nigel Dudley and Sue Stolton, Running Pure: The importance of forest protected areas to drinking water, World Bank/WWF Alliance for Forest Conservation and Sustainable Use, August 2003
Lindsey Eudo-Mitchell, Council's golf course irrigation 'may cause floods': Facility should become a community park, Farnborough News, 14 April 2006
Kate Evans, Funny Weather, Myriad Editions, 2006
http://www.heureka.clara.net/books/funny-weather.htm Fears as floods loom in new areas, BBC news on-line, 25 July 2007
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6914876.stm Flood crisis grows as rivers rise, BBC news on-line, 23 July 2007
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6911226.stm Flood crisis operation launched, BBC news on-line, 24 July 2007
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6913752.stm Paul Hawken, Amory B Lovins & L Hunter Lovins, Natural Capitalism, Earthscan, 1999
Paul Kingsnorth, High Tide, The Ecologist Blog, 26 July 2007
http://www.theecologist.org/blog_full.asp?blog_detail_id=166 John Lidstone, Council will not learn lessons from past flooding, letters, Farnborough News, 27 July 2007
Marcus Mabberley, Council 'too slow to help us', Farnborough News, 27 July 2007
Keith Parkins, Curitiba - Designing a sustainable city, April 2006
http://www.heureka.clara.net/gaia/curitiba.htm Keith Parkins, Curitiba – Designing a sustainable city, Biotech Indymedia, 5 April 2006
http://biotech.indymedia.org/or/2006/04/5036.shtml Keith Parkins, Council increases risk of flooding, Indymedia UK, 7 April 2006
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2006/04/337799.html Keith Parkins, Water shortages, Indymedia UK, 13 April 2006
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2006/04/338215.html Keith Parkins, Gardens under threat, Indymedia UK, 26 March 2007
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2007/03/366232.html Keith Parkins, Who runs your local council?, Indymedia UK, 16 July 2007
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2007/07/376272.html 'Show-off 4x4 drivers didn't help', Farnborough News, 27 July 2007
Two dead after flooding accident, BBC news on-line, 26 July 2007
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/6916774.stm Ernst von Weizsacker, Amory B Lovins & L Hunter Lovins, Factor Four: Doubling Wealth, Halving Resource Use, Earthscan, 1997
Keith Parkins
Homepage:
http://www.heureka.clara.net/surrey-hants/
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