£370,000 SECURED BUT SCHEME TO PROTECT BINSTEAD FROM FLOODING NOT FAST FLOWING

Despite an additional £200,000 being secured to carry out flood prevention work in Binstead, progress to protect the village remains incredibly slow with properties still at risk of more devastating damage. In April 2022, £170,000 was ringfenced by the Isle of Wight Council for flood mitigation works to be carried out in Binstead. However, projections have skyrocketed since with more than double the amount of money now needed to ensure a successful scheme. It’s said that previous assessments of the work needed to be undertaken were ‘inadequate’ and had not been brought up to date to reflect increased costs. Furthermore, utility restraints and ‘other hurdles’ have led to increased costs. An additional £200,000 of funding from the Environment Agency was secured by the Isle of Wight Council in November last year to enable the project to move forward, topping up the £170,000 already allocated in the local authority’s budget. But in the 4 months that have followed, very little has actually occurred – nearly 3 years after the devastating floods of July 2021. 18 months ago, local ward councillor Ian Dore said “now we have the data and importantly the funding, we can light the touch paper and blow the doors off!”. But the reality has been less dramatic.

To date, topographical surveys have taken place on a number of highway verges but the actual construction of sustainable drainage solutions – or SUDS – won’t begin until later this year. It’s said that rain gardens and soakaways will help to hold back rainwater, slowing down the amount going into the sewer during high rainfall events. Locations include, but are not limited to, The Mall, Sandpath, Greenway and Parkway. Some public footpaths have been resurfaced and work is continuing with local landowners to ensure land drainage is well maintained and direct to the right place. Sadly, for many residents, the lack of action thus far resulted in further household flooding last October when a record-breaking amount of rain fell over a very short space of time.

Water butts are also part of the scheme with Southern Water delivering 200-litre butts at properties in the local area, as reported by Island Echo back in January. However, Councillor Ian Dore, who represents the Binstead & Fishbourne ward, has said that the work undertaken by the water company to date has fallen ‘well below’ what he was expecting. So far, Southern Water has provided just over 25% of the 800 required, but there is no word on when they will begin Phase 2 of the rollout. As well as the need for additional funding, some of the delay has been attributed to dealing with third parties such as the Environment Agency and Southern Water, who have their own operating procedures, commitments and manpower. There has also been a suggestion that the Council’s planning department is stretched due to the much-delayed Draft Island Planning Strategy. Councillor Dore says that the multi-agency team involved in the flood prevention project will continue to implement ‘a package of measures that started in 2023 and continue into 2024’. Commenting on how he feels about the lack of any doors being ‘blown off’, Councillor Dore has said:

”At the time of my statement, it was based on the facts that I had. In this case, not so much as a firecracker went off. Let me explain why. “In this specific instance it turns out it was down to two things; a utility issue (where the SUDS were considered at one point) and funding. This resulted in the project costing a lot more. Due to lack of Government funding and investment, this had to be secured. There have been curveballs and challenges thrown up from the outset and its incredibly regretful. Especially when you are essentially the spokesperson. I can help secure funds, but I can’t force a digger to dig. “I’ve learnt in Council land that you don’t get a coconut every time. Residents should be reassured though; we continue to throw the balls until they are all knocked off. Those funds are secured to a total value of £1.3 million and they are trying to get the spades in the ground as soon as possible, along with the PFR elements”.

Reassuring local residents, Cllr Dore has said:

”Through the recent Alliance Budget, the council have set aside additional monies in the 2024/25 budget which will be spent on extra gulley cleaning in the areas prone to flooding on the Island, such as Binstead. The council will negotiate the extra gulley cleaning regime directly with Island Roads in the coming weeks. “The Property Flood Resilience (PFR) scheme, using previous Section 19 investigations as an evidence base, will provide fully funded flood resilience measures to identified properties that have suffered internal flooding. The first step will be undertaking surveys on individual properties to work out what kind of resilience measures may be appropriate. The IWC & EA will be contacting property owners in the coming weeks to start this process. “In mid to late April, there will be another Public Meeting at Binstead Community Centre, where residents can attend and ask questions of the appropriate stakeholders. Already confirmed is the Leader of the Council and Isle of Wight Council Planning. We are awaiting confirmation from the EA and Southern Water, as well as Island Roads. Once confirmed, the date will be shared appropriately. “I don’t have all the answers, I am often simply the spokesperson. The one that takes the flak, the man on the ground. These are the people that have the intricate answers so please come along and engage”.