Flooding fears as controversial Geddington homes scheme set for green light

A Geddington development which was branded an ‘environmental disaster’ by one villager is set to be approved despite flooding fears.

North Northamptonshire Council will meet tonight (Tuesday) to decide whether to give the Larkfleet Homes scheme for 20 houses off Stamford Road the green light.

Planning officers admit that the development may present an ‘unacceptable’ risk without conditions which they are proposing to go with its approval.

But after the village was badly affected by flooding in December 2020 nearby residents and Geddington, Newton and Little Oakley Parish Council say the site is ‘entirely inappropriate’ and claim the developers appear to have ‘dangerously underestimated’ the risk of flooding.

Cllr John Padwick said: “The planning application is a serious threat to the village in terms of flooding.

"The recommendation by officers is to pass it with a surface water drainage plan as a condition. That has yet to be seen and approved, and so is not subject to public scrutiny.

"There is major concern around this as the flooding aspect is so vital to the village and the events of December 2020 hit properties in the vicinity extremely hard. The parish council has worked hard to protect Geddington from flooding - especially from the Geddington Chase and the brook - but this area needs proper mitigation too. Building in this area, outside the village envelope, will exacerbate an already vulnerable area.”

Larkfleet first applied to build houses there in June 2020 and a flood risk assessment was submitted as part of the plans on December 10, 2020 – two weeks before the floods. An updated assessment does not appear to have been submitted.

A planning statement said the site will be drained via two surface water ponds, providing not only a drainage solution but also enhancing biodiversity.

It added: “The proposed application will bring much needed affordable rural housing to those who need it the most and will complement the existing village of Geddington.”

But villagers and parish councillors have raised concerns for the residents of Stamford Road and Newton Road, with 32 objection letters sent in.

They say no work has been carried out to tackle the risk of flooding in Stamford Road, where surface water overcomes the drainage ditches at the roadside and runs to the site of the application where it ponds and floods.

They also say that the location is outside the village boundary, that the proposed housing is wrong for the community and that children living there would likely not be able to attend the village’s oversubscribed school.

One Newton Road resident said: “We do not agree there should be any building of house on this piece of land due to the flooding that occurs. The drains cannot cope now with the run off of water which causes surface flooding to the roads and the field which you have plans for is even now waterlogged in places.”

Another said: “This project is [an] environmental disaster and as such should be stopped.”

An official objection from Geddington, Newton and Little Oakley Parish Council read: “Our priority as a parish council is to keep our community safe, and Geddington is hugely vulnerable to flooding, as events of 1998 and since have shown…we are alarmed that developers appear to have dangerously underestimated the risk of flooding, thereby effectively undermining our efforts to protect our community.”

Planning officers want a condition stating that no development shall take place until a detailed design of surface water drainage scheme is approved by them.

A report set to be discussed by councillors said: “If planning conditions are included, the impacts of surface water drainage will have been adequately addressed at this stage.”

The meeting takes place in Kettering’s council chamber at 7pm tonight.