'It's like a lake underneath where they are going to build it'

There are fears a new house in Didsbury will make 'flooding more likely'

There are fears a new house ‘will make flooding more likely’ on a Didsbury cul-de-sac where there’s a ‘high’ water table and a brook.

Residents of Essex Avenue hit out at plans to build an extra house at the end of the road, roughly four metres from the brook, assuming ‘it will not happen because it floods’ in the area.

But they were approved by Manchester council last month, leading neighbours to consider drastic action as they worry building near the brook will take away ‘soak away’ land, so flooding is more likely to come to their doors.

“Fog Lane Park floods when it rains, but it drains into that brook. All the water from that part goes there,” said Paul Lilley. “It will make flooding where we live more likely.

“They will fill the ground full of concrete. It’s a natural soak away at the moment. Then it will not be and it will just come running down the street to us.”

The level of the water table is another concern, with Paul claiming ‘it’s like a lake underneath where they are going to build’

His neighbour Patrick Coyne, 54, added: “The ground water levels are quite high here, going back to 2006.

“I was doing some work on my house. I lifted my floorboards up in my front room and I found there was six inches of water directly underneath the house. That’s the water table, it had risen so much.

“If there is localised rain, the water table goes up. Then you have the brook and if it rains, it comes down from Fog Lane Park along that.”

Like much of south Manchester, this part of Didsbury flooded on New Year’s Day. Mr Coyne said there was roughly ‘eight inches’ of water across the road at the end where the brook runs.

But the Local Democracy Reporting Service understands the council believes this issue was caused by blocked drains and is currently being assessed.

The authority also mandated a drainage report be drawn up before building work begins, which 'approved independently' of the council’s planning department by its flood risk team.

Now, Patrick and Paul say they will consider forking out for their own drainage scheme if they don't think the council-approved plan is up to standard.

“We will have to have a look at that plan. If it does not address the problem, it needs its own water capture to be effective, [so] if it’s not, we will have to look at putting our own report together,” said Mr Coyne.

Added Mr Lilley: “We feel our only option is to spend our own money and we are willing to fund our own drainage report.”

A Manchester City Council spokesperson said: "We understand that local planning issues can be emotive for those involved.

“It's therefore important that every planning application received by the council is considered on its own merits in accordance with national guidance and local adopted policies, and site-specific considerations - and each managed through the same transparent process.

"Flood risk was raised as the key concern at this site and, as well as a drainage report being commissioned through the planning process, a pre-commencement condition has been attached to the approval of the application that requires the applicant to submit a detailed drainage scheme before starting the build.

“This will need to demonstrate how water will be managed, regardless of how it arrives on the site - and to ensure no water can drain onto Essex Avenue. The drainage scheme will be independently assessed by the council's flood risk team and no work can commence on site until this has been approved."