Flood defences in Dulwich and Belair Parks

[Robert Poste's Child]

The weather the last few weeks must have given the flood defences something to do. Does anyone know more about how they're performing - would we have had flooded roads and houses without them? Over the winter there was some standing water which killed off the grass and marooned some gym equipment but I think they did more work to sort those out. When I cycled through earlier there was very little surface water visible, despite the big leak next to the S Circ, which is still gushing away.

I know we all complained about the disruption and the work seemed to take over both parks for a long time, but it looks like it was the right thing to do.

[civilservant]

i notice that most of the new developments around ED have paved-over gardens or are built on every available inch of space - the resulting run-off must be giving the flood defences a run for their money but also overloading the drains. i find it incredible that the council seems to be putting this kind of thing through planning without demur.

[Townleygreen]

always assuming the paved-over gardens people have all applied for planning permission, CS !!

[mikeb]

There was a fair amount of water yesterday against the bund at the north-eastern end of Alleyn's playing fields, which is a similar purpose though not sure it's part of the same scheme.

[Penguin68]

always assuming the paved-over gardens people have all applied for planning permission

1. I don't believe that you need planning permission just to alter the nature of your front (or back) garden in terms of its ground finish. However, if you want to park a car and you don't already have dropped kerbs you will, in effect, need permission (to get the dropped kerb).

2. Many types of cover are water permeable - gravel over membrane, for instance, or brick pavours over sand. All of these will aid absorption of (normal) rain - the level we had recently (a month's supply in a day) will cause run-off even over impacted soil. And you will also get run-off when the ground is already waterlogged. It's not been far off that, recently, either.

3. Coverings to avoid include asphalt and concrete. Both of these are non permeable. Large concrete or stone slabs, again particularly if themselves set in concrete, are also impermeable.

[civilservant]

these are all high-end new developments - on Lordship Lane and Crystal Palace Road - so they have had to go through the planning process. from what I can see, the surface coverings look non-permeable, mostly concrete tile hard standing

and another concern is the lack of off-street parking for most of these developments - I'm doubtful that their future owners would be full-time cyclists or users of public transport!

[Siduhe]

I can't speak to more recent developments but when our house was built in ED 10 years ago it was an absolute planning requirement for the (pre-existing) parking space to be redone in a permeable medium to avoid runoff. I assumed this was a general Southwark approach - may be wrong. I know if you want to put in a drop kerb you need permission and this is subject to conditions as our neighbours are going through this process now. Not sure what the conditions are - will ask.

[Penguin68]

but when our house was built in ED 10 years ago it was an absolute planning requirement for the (pre-existing) parking space to be redone in a permeable medium to avoid runoff.

I can well imagine that planning permission for building a house might/ would involve issues of 'finish' around the house - but I do not believe that, where no other build is being proposed, changes to the finish of a front garden would require planning permission. You certainly don't need permission to install decking or paving in the back garden. Or indeed any hard landscaping or fencing coming in under (is it 6 or 8 feet - some height anyway).

[civilservant]

I think you are right, Penguin, but clearly the stipulation that Siduhe mentions is no longer necessary to get planning permission for new builds in Southwark - the aim seems to be to encourage development at any cost, and environmental concerns are dropping down the priority scale

I wonder too how many of these expensive new houses and flats will find buyers in the post-referendum economic climate, and how many are fated to be the HMOs and tenements of the future

[Burbage]

Robert Poste's Child Wrote:

> Over

> the winter there was some standing water which

> killed off the grass and marooned some gym

> equipment but I think they did more work to sort

> those out.

Did they? I thought that was how the defences were supposed to work. Faced with a trade-off between flooding an inclusive communal facility or a few posh houses in The Hole, the council, abetted by Thames Water, decided it would be a better use of public money to protect the latter. Their reasoning, I gather, was that without decisive action, the cost of insuring the sort of rugs at risk would have caused almost noticeable hardship.

[James Barber]

Hi Burbage,

The flood defences are to protect all residents.

The next priority has been a review of East Dulwich and Peckham Rye areas and I have fed in all the flooding casework I've had, and Cllr Rosie Shimell since 2010, for the area since I became a councillor in 2006.