Agenda item

(Report and annex attached)

Officer attending: Tor Peebles, Flood Risk Management Strategy and Partnerships Team Leader

Mr John Orrick arrived during this item.

The Team Leader introduced the report. He confirmed that there had been a positive first meeting of the Caterham Flood Action Group in early December. All gullies in the area are due to be cleared during January and February. Every single gully in Caterham on the Hill has been visually inspected. The Flood Action Group are being invited to identify blocked gullies they have seen. The officer noted the positive community spirit and commitment within the Caterham on the Hill community. The officer confirmed that the county council is working with the other Risk Management Authorities (RMAs) to look at opportunities for mitigating the impact of flooding. Funding has been secured for feasibility studies, and the county council will be seeking further contributions from the other RMAs.

The Area Highway Manager acknowledged past issues with the quality of gully cleansing. The contract has been reviewed and more quality control measures put in to address this. This includes spot checks, and new auditing methods and procedures. There are issues with parked cars blocking access to gullies. The Area Highway Manager confirmed that the council can now suspend parking and enforce this to allow for gully cleansing. However because this is expensive to do, it will only be implemented in roads with a history of problems.

Member discussion – key points:

·         Members commended the Team Leader for the considerable amount of work that had been undertaken by county council officers and partner agencies.

·         Members asked what would happen if there was a repeat of the June rainfall tomorrow- would the consequences be the same? The Team Leader confirmed that the Money Pit is not large enough to take that volume of water. Maintenance has been carried out on the drainage, however the flood risk itself has not changed.

·         Park Road in Caterham is one road which could benefit from action to ensure gully clearing is not hampered by parked cars.

·         The Atkins report provides crucial information on how water flows through the district and signposts towards possible solutions.

·         Mr Botten thanked the Team Leader for attending the Caterham Parish Council public meeting, and commended all the officers who attended. Mr Botten requested that use is made of the Parish Council’s knowledge and resources. They could contribute towards the cost of parking suspension, and could use the Parish Warden to help identify blocked gullies. The focus should be to widen the focus on broader resilience to a range of emergency situations, such as power cuts.  The Team Leader agreed to take these points forward in discussion with the Parish Council.

·         Members discussed how Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) contributions from developers can help support the work to mitigate flooding risk and impact.  Mr Martin Fisher confirmed that flooding work was a priority for the district council’s use of CIL.

·         Members asked for clarification on where overall responsibility for drainage sits. The Team Leader confirmed that DEFRA has overall responsibility, and individual RMAs take on specific responsibilities.

·         Members asked that progress is reported back to the committee at regular intervals, and asked for an update on progress with the Caterham Bourne to be brought to a future informal meeting.

Mr John Orrick proposed that further reports come to the Local Committee for monitoring on a 6 monthly, or annual basis. Mr Nick Skellett seconded this proposal.

Resolution:

The Local Committee (Tandridge) resolved to agree to:

(i) Note the findings of the section 19 investigation.

(ii) Note the current, future and completed work by the Risk Management Authorities.

(iii) Support the activities of the Flood Action Group.

(iv) Receive 6 monthly updates on progress

Reasons for decisions:

The impact of flooding to its victims reaches far beyond the physical impact on property and possessions; it can also affect the physical and mental health of individuals and communities. The approach to mitigating the impact of flooding is therefore holistic in nature, with the method taken in Caterham and the rest of Surrey being resident-led through Flood Action Groups and concurrent Risk Management Authority (RMA) collaboration. This places residents at the heart of the work that will be carried out in the Caterham on the Hill catchment and will enable the relevant authorities to deliver an approach to flood risk management that will best serve the needs of its residents.