Concerns Over Timetable For Upton Flood Defences

8.10.00pm UTC (GMT +0000) Mon 4th Aug 2008

Local Liberal Democrat parliamentary candidate, Richard Burt has written to the Environment Agency over the timetable for flood defences in Upton, which officials say are due to start some time next year.

Mr Burt said he had been in discussions with Town Council Chairman, Tim Perry who raised concerns that work on the New Street bund would not start this year to coincide with the Upton Marina development.

Richard Burt said: "I know that members of the New Street Flood Forum, the Town Council and others have worked incredibly hard with Environment Agency officials to develop the flood defence scheme.

"With the money secured, they fully expected that construction of the New Street bund would start in conjunction with the marina development this summer, and that work on the Riverside defences would commence soon afterwards.

"Despite a clear expectation that works would commence around this time, no planning application was forthcoming and by last month it became clear that expectations within the Environment Agency had changed.

"This is a real concern for many who worked so hard to win the case for funding and for building these defences.

"Homes and businesses have suffered from huge insurance excess increases and will now be exposed to prolonged flood risk as a result of these delays.

"The opportunity to move excavated earth directly from the marina development to build the New Street bund will be lost too, unless work on the marina is also delayed.

"This is likely to cause unnecessary environmental damage and extra costs, both for the marina development company and for the Environment Agency if works are not started sooner."