Binstead resident and landowner Matt Legge, has recently engaged in some heavy-duty land maintenance to help prevent future flooding.
The spring-fed watercourse that passes through his land has been cleaned with banks cleared and debris/leaf litter removed.
All these factors can contribute to blockages of watercourses and culverts and pose a flood risk to nearby property and highways.
Local ward member, Councillor Ian Dore, said:
“Firstly, Matte Legge has done a phenomenal job, following an action plan that was agreed earlier in the year.
“The rules surrounding bird nesting season dictated the work could not be done before September, but what you see now is a staggering piece of clearance.”
Regular watercourse maintenance is paramount to ensure the flow of water is unhindered, and it is the responsibility of the landowner to carry out maintenance as and when it is needed. Guidance for those owning land that contains watercourses, can be found on the Environment Agency website which outlines riparian responsibility.
In this case, the landowner also cleaned his boundary ditch which aided the drainage of his land and should reduce the risk of flooding to adjoining properties that had occurred during the intense rainfall of late summer 2021.
Regular watercourse and ditch maintenance is something that the Isle of Wight Council encourage as it reduces the flood risk to nearby property, and highways.
Councillor Dore added:
“We revisited the ditch this week to check performance and the work is exemplary. It is a grade A, class 1, gold plated example of a local resident, taking their riparian rights seriously and acting in everyone’s best interests.
“It’s also helped us identify an area that is the council’s responsibility to address, with the wheels being put in motion for that to happen at the earliest opportunity. This collaborative working approach is moving us closer to establishing the ultimate goal.”
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A flood drop-in session is being held at Binstead Community Centre on Monday 5th December, between 15:00 and 19:00. Local residents are welcome to attend and chat with all parties involved and have their say for the future on flood mitigation and prevention in Binstead.
If this was done on every water course, flooding would be much alliviated.
It used to be and buy water authorities.
Road drains were regularly emptied too.
Gabion cages can be very useful in preventing fields with no hedges boarding roads from running too much muddy water onto the highways.
They are heavy, moveable and although they allow water eventually through, if faced with straw bales, the sheer weight of the cages will only allow filtered water through, whereas bales alone would be swept aside.
A simple, cheap, effective solution for many cases of bad flooding of highways, so this council ‘won’t ‘ be using it.
Needs several meetings, several contractors and then checking who is likely to send the largest thank you card.
What is it with you and Gabion cages? It’s almost as if it’s some strange fetish you have.
#rocksoff.
He lives in one.
So where is the picture of in Binstead?
Hardly that a most picturesque location snuggled in the folds of the downs at Combly behind Robin Hill area. So not Binstead as most think of
The picture of the landowner is taken in the field at the South of Dame Anthony’s Close, Binstead.