OBJECTORS to a housing development in a Northumberland village have claimed the proposals could ‘endanger’ the lives of pupils at a nearby school due to flood risk.

On Tuesday (June 11), councillors on the Tynedale Local Area Planning Committee considered plans for 26 new homes on land north east of Bridgeford Road in Bellingham. While the plans were recommended for approval by council planners, there was staunch opposition from villagers and the parish council.

It comes after the nearby Bellingham Middle School was flooded last May following a sudden, severe downpour that left several inches of water and sewage flowing through the corridors.

The flooding also caused the closure of the popular Hareshaw Linn walking route.
Speaking at Tuesday’s meeting, parish councillor Joyce Knudsen urged councillors to reject the proposals.

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She said: “Would you be happy to be responsible for the approval of a planning application that poses a risk to human life in Bellingham? This is not emotive rhetoric.

“As a volunteer flood warden, I have learned of the dangers of fast-moving flood water, and also of the mental health issues in the aftermath of a flooding episode. Had the children been in school, the story would have been very different.

“Flash flooding is unpredictable; it is unlikely that evacuation of the schools could have taken place in time as the torrent of water was pouring onto the school site. I have also learned that just a few inches of fast-moving flood water can knock a child off its feet.

“If children and staff had been in school that day, I dread to think what would have happened. At the very least they would have found themselves wading through sewage-contaminated flash-flood water.”

But Helen Parkin, the council’s flood risk management officer, explained that applications did not need to improve flood risk, and only have to ensure that they will provide as much drainage as a greenfield site.

She added: “Developments don’t have to fix existing problems. They have to demonstrate it won’t make them worse. We do take what is on the ground into consideration and look at how a new application would impact that.

“The school flooding is still under investigation and it could be from other sources. It is not for this application to investigate the flood risk to the school, they just have to prove they’re not going to increase run-off and keep it the same as it currently is.”

The plans were proposed for approval by Councillor Colin Horncastle.

Cllr Nick Oliver commented: “I’m still not sure about the risk of surface water flooding. I take some comfort from the fact that a lot of work has been done.”

Cllr Horncastle referenced a previous application the same committee had refused in Prudhoe. The applicant subsequently appealed the decision and had it successfully overturned.

He added: “I’m sitting here getting worried because it is like the application in Prudhoe that the council blocked in March and lost on appeal. People stopped listening to the officers that we employ.

“People are saying now they’re not happy about the flooding, are you experts? What I’m saying is we didn’t listen to our officers and we were so lucky to not get massive costs against us, because the inspector said we didn’t listen to the experts.

“If you think the officers have done their jobs properly, you have to accept the application – if not, please tell us why.”

The plans were approved by six votes to three, with two abstentions.