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  1. Published on: 15/01/2018 07:56 AMReported by: rogerblaxall
    Fears over plans to develop a new facility at Martin Mere have led to this objection to the plans from Gavin Rattray of the Burscough Flooding Group, along with photographic evidence.

    'Dear Parish Councillors, WLBC and Residents

    I wish to comment on the flooding aspects of the recent WWT planning application referenced above in light of the Flood Risk Assessment provided by the WWT, which states “there are no historical records of flooding in this location since 1975 when it became a WWT Centre”

    Burscough Flooding Groups records indicate that residents and farmers near Martin Mere (MM) report that they have suffered regular flooding and near misses for many years.

    One resident reported who began to suffer flooding in 2014, reported that the groundwater level is substantially higher than it was 30 years ago.

    One farmer neighbouring MM regularly loses £1000s of pounds worth of crops to flooding and blames MM.

    A resident of Fish Lane (living opposite MM) told us that widespread flooding occurred in September 2012 when MM had to make huge efforts to rescue birds from all over the sanctuary - it was reported in the Champion at the time. The same resident's contacted WLBC to complain about MM several times, he believes that the height of the Martin Mere’s weir has had a very negative effect on his homes flood risk and has the impounding of water to enable MM to operate its canoe safari. He also stated that at previous applications MM had incorrectly stated they have no knowledge of flooding at the site despite flooding being widely reported in the media.

    One Fish Lane resident was internally flooded due to groundwater flooding on Christmas Day 2015 and at least one other suffered internal flooding beginning on Christmas Day 2015.

    Two homes on Fish Lane have had flood prevention equipment installed through WLBC issue of central government grants.

    Seven homes on Fish Lane (living opposite/near Martin Mere) suffered flooding on Boxing Day 2015, some of those saved their homes from internal flooding by digging ditches and using portable pumps. No doubt as always some won’t have reported their flood to any of the authorities.

    Martin Mere was badly flooded beginning on Christmas Day 2015 and still deeply flooded eleven days later on the 5th January 2016 when the attached pictures were taken for the Southport Visiter.

    BFG have made considerable efforts to get to the bottom of the flooding problems that residents, farmers and MM suffer from, and to that end we had a lot of correspondence with the Environment Agency (EA) including FOI and have met them in their offices. We found that the weir at MM wasn’t licenced and doesn’t have any formal approval, nor is there any evidence of MM consulting with local residents or farmers over the weir. All of the residents and neighbours who have spoken to BFG generally blame MMs weir and impounding of water for their problems.

    BFG through its communication with the EA believes that the flooding at MM is caused by lack of maintenance of the boathouse sluice and the catchment drainage systems, housing developments in the catchment and global warming.

    We do know that the weir at MM has a negative effect on nearby flood risk and are very concerned about the above; especially as we believe MM have plans to alter the weir (if they haven’t already done so) and perceive that the EA do not have the inclination to make MM consult with their regularly flooded neighbours first. Nor do we believe that WLBC as our LPA is keeping an eye on MMs plans for the weir despite the flood risk it poses. Some residents we spoke to believe that MM turned its pumps from the purpose of raising the channels for canoeing to instead dump floodwater water onto farmland downstream after Boxing Day 2015. We know that this wouldn’t have been possible if the wetland centre (MM) had a published water management plan. It doesn’t and we believe that this is a serious failure of the authorities to regulate it. That, along with their failure to control the development of MMs weir means that the authorities as a whole are failing to do the basic checks on MM and therefore not protecting its many neighbours from flooding.

    We trust that WLBC will take the opportunity to address its past failures to regulate MM by questioning MMs FRA in detail and gets them to correct it. In addition, as WLBC is currently travelling the county looking for flood risk, we hope that for residents sakes many of whom are rightfully angry about the high level of flooding they suffer, it analyses the risk posed by MM’s weir, canoe safari and lack of water management plan.

    Yours sincerely,

    Gavin Rattray – Secretary Burscough Flooding Group'
         
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