2021
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Notes of a meeting in the church re flooding at Christmas 12th August
On the 12 August 21 at 1800 a flood meeting was held in Broughton where villagers got a chance to put their views and opinions to representatives from Urban and Civic, the developers at Alconbury Weald, and Cambridgeshire County Councils principal sustainable drainage officer & flood risk contract manager. Unfortunately, members of the Environment Agency and HDC were not in attendance.
Urban and Civic representative Rebecca Brittan and her colleague Warren opened the meeting providing the following information:
They confirmed that the development at Alconbury Weald has mainly been to the south side and that the ponds that the balancing/attenuation ponds were all being maintained and were in good working order. They confirmed there was a maintenance plan in place for these ponds which was being followed. The currently development would not impact the ponds at Abbotts Ripton as they are to the north side.
A comment was made by one of the villagers that the attenuation pond on Abbotts Ripton Estate, which is under the ownership/responsibility or Urban and Civic is not in good working order and that pictures have been taken of this pond, which does directly impact Bury brook, 3 days after the flooding in December 2020 and it was full to overflowing. It was also commented on that a connecting pipe at the pond was also broken. There was lots of debris blocking the pond. It was mentioned that Abbotts Ripton estate manager has stated they had never seen so much water come from Alconbury and that maintenance on the pond had not been done for years. It is understood recently some clearance may have taken place. Urban and Civic confirmed they would look into this pond and the maintenance and provide Broughton with an update.
Urban and Civic moved on to explain that prior to commencing full development on the north side of Alconbury airfield they would be able to review the water run off rates and change if required. They confirmed that the there is a strategy in place for the whole development and that they have a process which mimics green field soakage rates. It was noted that they need to maintain flow in ponds and balance the ebb and flow. They handed out some diagrams at this stage which were not particularly clear to many in attendance. They went on to explain that Alconbury brook is not connected to Bury brook which runs through Broughton. They explained about the 3 main rainfall events they have to plan for which are annual storms, 1 in 30-year storms and 1 in 100-year storms. They also explained on site they have also looked at betterment of this and planned for 1 in 400-year storms. They explained the mimicking of these storms and the tests carried out based on the rainfall to assess the storage of such volumes of water. They also confirmed that while they will have some run off to the Bury brook other water also flows into it.
A comment was made at this point by a villager noting that the figures quoted in the planning document for Alconbury Weald show that their plans were based on 1 in 100-year storms + 30% and that had failed in the 8 years from the planning documents. It was also stated that even without the north side of the development being started Broughton had already flooded and that the water seen in December 2020 rose so quickly in an hour and that people living in the village for 30 years plus has never seen the likes of it. It was asked whose responsibility it is to maintain the ponds and whose failing was it that had not been done?
Urban and Civic responded that while the storm predictions are as they are you could end up having 2 consecutive years where once in a 100-year storms occur. They confirmed they are responsible for the ponds on the development and they have maintenance plans in place which are followed. They reiterated they would be reviewing the pond in Abbotts Ripton and the maintenance plan for it. They also confirmed that lessons can be learnt before the next phase on the north side begins as they have factual elements to base them on.
They also confirmed they never let their ponds run dry and the bottom measurements are taken to allow for silt etc so the volume they can take during wet periods does not include the bottom element.
At this stage various questions were asked from the villagers which are below with the responses given by Urban and Civic.
1.Have all the attenuation ponds required been built? Yes, and they were done prior to the floods in December 2020.
2.7 tributaries flow into the brook on the north side, easily identified from an OS map, has that been looked into? It is critical that these store and release water as required and Urban and Civic will review and make sure everything is working effectively.
3.Modelling work on rainfall amounts was mentioned. Where did the rainfall on the 23 Dec sit in the model and did the infrastructure stand up as it should have done? Yes, on the southern side they did but Alconbury still got flooded. Other catchments also flow into the Abbotts Ripton brook.
4.Would Urban and Civic let Middle Level do a review of their plans? Urban and Civic will reflect on all that has happened and factor that into the next stages of their development. Middle Level, local flooding departments, internal drainage boards and the environment agency would all have been involved in the planning
The questions then moved on and Hilary from the Councils Flood Risk & Biodiversity Team responded to them as below.
1.Who monitors the maintenance? There is no responsible authority but the council can enforce maintenance. While the environment agency previously did much of the work, due to cutbacks etc they have ceased undertaking aspects and unfortunately never made it clear to property/land owners about riparian ownership. Riparian ownership is where a person with a water course on or next to their property have responsibility for the watercourses. Ditches are also owned by the bordering landowners on either side. Riparian ownership runs from ditches up to rivers such as the Thames and all in between. While the owner is responsible, they don’t have to carry out the work themselves but are responsible for ensuring it is done. In some places levies are charged and then maintenance is done by the environment agency. She confirmed that maintenance plans on developments have to be submitted during planning and are enforceable.
2.In Ramsey the brook goes under the town so are you saying the houses/shops etc are responsible. Yes.
3.What about the roads that would be the highways agency then? That would depend if they own the road or if they are loaning the road.
4.Will this be detailed in the section 19 report and can it make it clear about who owns what and who is responsible for the ownership? While it is not yet completed this will be included.
5.With another 5000 new homes being built at Alconbury who makes sure what is meant to be built will be? HDC will be responsible for that.
Hilary went on to explain that 49% of the months rain fell on the 23 December and with the water tables already high as was the soil moisture. She explained that normally during the month of December soil saturation levels were about 22mm but on the 23 December 2020 this was 3mm which meant it only took 3mm of rain to fall before it started to run off land.
She explained that if Cambridgeshire County Council were made aware of owners not carrying out their responsibilities correctly, they can react and enforce them, they can even do the work and then charge the costs incurred back to the owners. She confirmed that her team of 10 people have over 7000km of ditches in their area and that not all ditches are known.
The villagers then made the following points/observations:
Hilary read out a statement from the environment agency which said that next FY a bid will be submitted for weed control and bushing but they will only be able to do what is justified and funded. She explained when challenged this meant they have to go through Defra and undertake risk and impact assessments on where to use that funding.
She went on to explain that her colleague Charles has looked onto the possibility of a non-return value on the pipe to assist with the issues when the brook is high. She also confirmed they could look into dredging the flood plain and removing the excess build up.
She went on to advise that it would be worth Broughton looking to create a flood action group which didn’t need to be big, as Alconbury has, as by making it formal the village would have more clout to apply for funding.
She confirmed that the S19 will be completed 4 weeks from now as they were just awaiting the environment agencies input.
A villager from Abbotts Ripton then stepped in to say that the water from here has to get all the way to King’s Lynn and that Middle Level are responsible for that and get funding to keep the waterways clear. He stated that over the years lots of reeds have been allowed to grow to create natural habitations for wildlife which don’t help. He also confirmed that as well as middle level there are the internal drainage boards but they can only pump water off their waterways when middle level gives the ok that water levels are low enough. He explained about the several local washes designed to help with the excess water such as Whittlesey and Welney amongst others. He explained that ¾ of the water from Huntingdon goes that way. He also confirmed that the water from Alconbury goes into the Ouse.
A question was also asked about the early warning system to householders which did not work efficiently on Dec 23rd with warnings coming too late for residents.
Hilary did not know why this had happened but said she could send details about how to register
for this warning system
Actions:
CCC – work with Broughton Parish Council to identify where ditches are in the village and create a plan of who has riparian ownership of the ditches and along the brook. They can then send out a letter to the owners reminding them of their responsibilities.
CCC – Hilary will look into a point raised about grants to homeowners for flood risk measures.
Broughton village – to look at creating a village group
BPC – to work with Hilary and Charles to identify landowners next to the brook and ditches in the village.
U&C – they will look into and let the village know what plans are in place to ensure the depth of the pools in maintained correctly
U&C – stated although they have maintenance plans in place for all new ponds they would look at the maintenance plans in place for older ponds including the one in Abbotts Ripton and should no plan be in place rectify that.
U&C – stated they would look what they could do in the short term, next 3-4 weeks, with the pond at Abbotts Ripton such as clearing weeds etc
U&C – offered residents to go and view the development at Alconbury and they woud be happy to show people around the ponds and how they work.
U&C – when asked if they would provide any money to help pay for dredging and removal of excess from the village, they stated they did not see why this could not be done but noted that they would need to take that away and seek authority so could not promise anything.
U&C – offered to support Broughton villages creating a flood group and offered that some of their technical experts could help with creating cases for funding etc
U&C – offered to help create/fund posters/leaflets explaining about riparian ownership which BPC could distribute to villages.
Urban and Civic representative Rebecca Brittan and her colleague Warren opened the meeting providing the following information:
They confirmed that the development at Alconbury Weald has mainly been to the south side and that the ponds that the balancing/attenuation ponds were all being maintained and were in good working order. They confirmed there was a maintenance plan in place for these ponds which was being followed. The currently development would not impact the ponds at Abbotts Ripton as they are to the north side.
A comment was made by one of the villagers that the attenuation pond on Abbotts Ripton Estate, which is under the ownership/responsibility or Urban and Civic is not in good working order and that pictures have been taken of this pond, which does directly impact Bury brook, 3 days after the flooding in December 2020 and it was full to overflowing. It was also commented on that a connecting pipe at the pond was also broken. There was lots of debris blocking the pond. It was mentioned that Abbotts Ripton estate manager has stated they had never seen so much water come from Alconbury and that maintenance on the pond had not been done for years. It is understood recently some clearance may have taken place. Urban and Civic confirmed they would look into this pond and the maintenance and provide Broughton with an update.
Urban and Civic moved on to explain that prior to commencing full development on the north side of Alconbury airfield they would be able to review the water run off rates and change if required. They confirmed that the there is a strategy in place for the whole development and that they have a process which mimics green field soakage rates. It was noted that they need to maintain flow in ponds and balance the ebb and flow. They handed out some diagrams at this stage which were not particularly clear to many in attendance. They went on to explain that Alconbury brook is not connected to Bury brook which runs through Broughton. They explained about the 3 main rainfall events they have to plan for which are annual storms, 1 in 30-year storms and 1 in 100-year storms. They also explained on site they have also looked at betterment of this and planned for 1 in 400-year storms. They explained the mimicking of these storms and the tests carried out based on the rainfall to assess the storage of such volumes of water. They also confirmed that while they will have some run off to the Bury brook other water also flows into it.
A comment was made at this point by a villager noting that the figures quoted in the planning document for Alconbury Weald show that their plans were based on 1 in 100-year storms + 30% and that had failed in the 8 years from the planning documents. It was also stated that even without the north side of the development being started Broughton had already flooded and that the water seen in December 2020 rose so quickly in an hour and that people living in the village for 30 years plus has never seen the likes of it. It was asked whose responsibility it is to maintain the ponds and whose failing was it that had not been done?
Urban and Civic responded that while the storm predictions are as they are you could end up having 2 consecutive years where once in a 100-year storms occur. They confirmed they are responsible for the ponds on the development and they have maintenance plans in place which are followed. They reiterated they would be reviewing the pond in Abbotts Ripton and the maintenance plan for it. They also confirmed that lessons can be learnt before the next phase on the north side begins as they have factual elements to base them on.
They also confirmed they never let their ponds run dry and the bottom measurements are taken to allow for silt etc so the volume they can take during wet periods does not include the bottom element.
At this stage various questions were asked from the villagers which are below with the responses given by Urban and Civic.
1.Have all the attenuation ponds required been built? Yes, and they were done prior to the floods in December 2020.
2.7 tributaries flow into the brook on the north side, easily identified from an OS map, has that been looked into? It is critical that these store and release water as required and Urban and Civic will review and make sure everything is working effectively.
3.Modelling work on rainfall amounts was mentioned. Where did the rainfall on the 23 Dec sit in the model and did the infrastructure stand up as it should have done? Yes, on the southern side they did but Alconbury still got flooded. Other catchments also flow into the Abbotts Ripton brook.
4.Would Urban and Civic let Middle Level do a review of their plans? Urban and Civic will reflect on all that has happened and factor that into the next stages of their development. Middle Level, local flooding departments, internal drainage boards and the environment agency would all have been involved in the planning
The questions then moved on and Hilary from the Councils Flood Risk & Biodiversity Team responded to them as below.
1.Who monitors the maintenance? There is no responsible authority but the council can enforce maintenance. While the environment agency previously did much of the work, due to cutbacks etc they have ceased undertaking aspects and unfortunately never made it clear to property/land owners about riparian ownership. Riparian ownership is where a person with a water course on or next to their property have responsibility for the watercourses. Ditches are also owned by the bordering landowners on either side. Riparian ownership runs from ditches up to rivers such as the Thames and all in between. While the owner is responsible, they don’t have to carry out the work themselves but are responsible for ensuring it is done. In some places levies are charged and then maintenance is done by the environment agency. She confirmed that maintenance plans on developments have to be submitted during planning and are enforceable.
2.In Ramsey the brook goes under the town so are you saying the houses/shops etc are responsible. Yes.
3.What about the roads that would be the highways agency then? That would depend if they own the road or if they are loaning the road.
4.Will this be detailed in the section 19 report and can it make it clear about who owns what and who is responsible for the ownership? While it is not yet completed this will be included.
5.With another 5000 new homes being built at Alconbury who makes sure what is meant to be built will be? HDC will be responsible for that.
Hilary went on to explain that 49% of the months rain fell on the 23 December and with the water tables already high as was the soil moisture. She explained that normally during the month of December soil saturation levels were about 22mm but on the 23 December 2020 this was 3mm which meant it only took 3mm of rain to fall before it started to run off land.
She explained that if Cambridgeshire County Council were made aware of owners not carrying out their responsibilities correctly, they can react and enforce them, they can even do the work and then charge the costs incurred back to the owners. She confirmed that her team of 10 people have over 7000km of ditches in their area and that not all ditches are known.
The villagers then made the following points/observations:
- Dredging had happened a few times, many years ago but nothing had been done since.
- The brook bed had risen over 7ft meaning it was now 7ft shallower than before due to the accumulation of silt etc over the years.
- There was a natural flood plain in the village, opposite the green with the prison on it, but over the years when dredging occurred that was built up so the water is now pushed out onto the road.
- There is a high risk to life in Broughton due to the flooding.
- New pipes laid now, when the brook is high, push the water back up onto the road
- Some land owners do not live in the village so do not see the impacts and have little interest in maintaining the brook through their land.
- Many of the drains in the village are blocked and have not been cleared for years.
- Pipes underground in the village helping with water flow have been damaged
Hilary read out a statement from the environment agency which said that next FY a bid will be submitted for weed control and bushing but they will only be able to do what is justified and funded. She explained when challenged this meant they have to go through Defra and undertake risk and impact assessments on where to use that funding.
She went on to explain that her colleague Charles has looked onto the possibility of a non-return value on the pipe to assist with the issues when the brook is high. She also confirmed they could look into dredging the flood plain and removing the excess build up.
She went on to advise that it would be worth Broughton looking to create a flood action group which didn’t need to be big, as Alconbury has, as by making it formal the village would have more clout to apply for funding.
She confirmed that the S19 will be completed 4 weeks from now as they were just awaiting the environment agencies input.
A villager from Abbotts Ripton then stepped in to say that the water from here has to get all the way to King’s Lynn and that Middle Level are responsible for that and get funding to keep the waterways clear. He stated that over the years lots of reeds have been allowed to grow to create natural habitations for wildlife which don’t help. He also confirmed that as well as middle level there are the internal drainage boards but they can only pump water off their waterways when middle level gives the ok that water levels are low enough. He explained about the several local washes designed to help with the excess water such as Whittlesey and Welney amongst others. He explained that ¾ of the water from Huntingdon goes that way. He also confirmed that the water from Alconbury goes into the Ouse.
A question was also asked about the early warning system to householders which did not work efficiently on Dec 23rd with warnings coming too late for residents.
Hilary did not know why this had happened but said she could send details about how to register
for this warning system
Actions:
CCC – work with Broughton Parish Council to identify where ditches are in the village and create a plan of who has riparian ownership of the ditches and along the brook. They can then send out a letter to the owners reminding them of their responsibilities.
CCC – Hilary will look into a point raised about grants to homeowners for flood risk measures.
Broughton village – to look at creating a village group
BPC – to work with Hilary and Charles to identify landowners next to the brook and ditches in the village.
U&C – they will look into and let the village know what plans are in place to ensure the depth of the pools in maintained correctly
U&C – stated although they have maintenance plans in place for all new ponds they would look at the maintenance plans in place for older ponds including the one in Abbotts Ripton and should no plan be in place rectify that.
U&C – stated they would look what they could do in the short term, next 3-4 weeks, with the pond at Abbotts Ripton such as clearing weeds etc
U&C – offered residents to go and view the development at Alconbury and they woud be happy to show people around the ponds and how they work.
U&C – when asked if they would provide any money to help pay for dredging and removal of excess from the village, they stated they did not see why this could not be done but noted that they would need to take that away and seek authority so could not promise anything.
U&C – offered to support Broughton villages creating a flood group and offered that some of their technical experts could help with creating cases for funding etc
U&C – offered to help create/fund posters/leaflets explaining about riparian ownership which BPC could distribute to villages.
Draft minutes of 5th July meeting
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Draft unsigned minutes of 14th June PC meeting
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From Joanne Lancaster, Managing Director, HDC.
Following on from the messages sent out by the District Council over Christmas, I once again need to draw your attention for information on water levels in Huntingdonshire. Levels in our rivers and watercourses are still relatively high, the ground is saturated and we are aware from a range of sources that we have a persistent period of rain heading our way; we currently have an amber warning from the Met Office for rain and a yellow warning from the Environment Agency(EA) for flooding linked to the Great Ouse, its tributaries and network of drains.
We have previously shared the attached diagram (see home page) with you and for convenience I share it again, which simply outlines responsibilities around flooding, and I confirm that you can share it with your residents. If there are early signs of issues, and you are aware of problems within your communities, please use the attached flow chart to request the support you need from the relevant organisations. Wherever possible you should encourage your residents to take reasonable precautions now to keep their homes and buildings secure; proactive action is always better than response in relation to such issues. For clarity(and to pre-empt the inevitable questions), the District Council does not have a duty to provide sandbags to residents or businesses; we do carry a small stock which we have for emergency use during a live incident, so please do not direct your residents to contact us.
Two useful links for both you and your residents are :
https://www.fws.environment-agency.gov.uk/app/olr/register this will allow you/ them to register for EA notifications if they are in an area which may be at risk.
https://flood-warning-information.service.gov.uk/warnings which has details of information on current flood alerts in place.
I hope that you find this information useful.
Joanne Lancaster
Managing Director
Huntingdonshire District Council
2020
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2019/20 accounts audit
The internal auditing process of the 2019/20 accounts is now complete.
The accounts will be available for public viewing between Thursday 16th July and Friday 15th August. Should any member of the public wish to view the accounts, please contact Thomas Wells on 01487 822899, or by email at broughtonparishcouncil@hotmail.com.
Thomas Wells
Clerk to Broughton Parish Council
The internal auditing process of the 2019/20 accounts is now complete.
The accounts will be available for public viewing between Thursday 16th July and Friday 15th August. Should any member of the public wish to view the accounts, please contact Thomas Wells on 01487 822899, or by email at broughtonparishcouncil@hotmail.com.
Thomas Wells
Clerk to Broughton Parish Council
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2019
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2018
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2017
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2016
