‘Storm drain issues’ on Woolbrook Road have been getting worse…
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During much of today, BBC Radio Devon has been warning of flooding down Woolbrook Road:
High tide and stormy weather floods SW coastal towns | bbc.co.uk
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Plus weather warnings from East Devon’s MP today:
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And more from the local media – with lots of startling photos – some of which have made their way into national coverage:
Highways chiefs said this afternoon that Woolbrook Road in Sidmouth was shut due to ‘storm drain issues’.
Treacherous travel conditions across Devon due to storm Dennis | sidmouthherald..co.uk
This has been the pattern for some time now:
December 2019: Torrential rain causing flooding on East Devon roads | exmouthjournal.co.uk
November 2016: Torrential rain wreaks havoc on Sidmouth’s roads | eastdevon24.co.uk
June 2012: Freak rainfall causes flash flooding in Woolbrook | sidmouthherald.co.uk
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It can get pretty bad, as this photo from 2012 shows:
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The brook is normally 2 foot lower behind the fence on the right.
Has development made this worse?
Discussion at Sidmouth Town Council’s planning committee included the issue of potential flooding:
Concern was expressed regarding run off of water. A tanked storage system and attenuation pond would ensure that flood risk is not increased (From the Planning Committee minutes, 16 December 2009)
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There’s going to be more wet and rain and flooding in the coming years – the question being whether Sidmouth is prepared…
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Looking at the STC website, the answer is not very clear:
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There is the Devon Community Resilience Forum which has a 9-step guide on how to create a Community Emergency Plan:
DEVON COMMUNITY RESILIENCE FORUM | devoncommunities.org.uk
But looking at the map: most places in Devon don’t have their own plan anyway:
EMERGENCY PLANS IN DEVON | devoncommunities.org.uk
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We did have the “Flood Resilience Community Pathfinder project, a two year project funded by Defra” some five or more years ago
– which didn’t seem to go anywhere:
Council plan to reduce flood risk to properties theexeterdaily.co.uk
Devon Local Flood Risk Management Strategy Update | devon.gov.uk
With a long discussion thread from the time:
Futures Forum: Streetlife debates the election issues for Sidmouth: part 2
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There have been some small-scale flooding defences since:
Knowle relocation project: flooding attenuation
Sidmouth homes to be protected from flooding
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But is this really adequate?
Flooding and development in East Devon
Climate change and flooding: the impact on the Devon coast
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There are some very good ideas out there, though:
Resilient responses to reverse the effects of urban flooding