Flooding fears over council plan for affordable homes in village

The scheme is part of a 33m house-building programme being undertaken by East Riding Council in what is its largest construction project ever.

Among some 40 schemes across the area is one for 15 two-bedroomed dormer bungalows in an open field off Eppleworth Road, just outside Cottingham.

Many homes along the road were flooded in 2007 and there are concerns that the new properties, to be built on a slope by the road, will add to problems in what is already a wet area.

Residents are also annoyed that neighbourhood consultation started on December 15 – just before the start of the Christmas holidays. It runs out today.

A parish council planning committee meeting is being held tonight at 7.30pm in Arlington Hall, behind St Mary's Church in the village, which the public can attend.

Parish and East Riding councillor Win Knight is one of those objecting. She said: "The real problem is flooding. There are springs on the hillside behind it and they run down into it.

"It's on the side of Eppleworth Road which turned into a river in 2007 and the attenuation schemes are only still at a negotiation stage, we haven't got them yet.

"All the sewage and surface water from the Castle Hill Hospital site and a chunk of the Castle Park housing estate – all this goes into 1930s sewers which were never built for all this."

Fellow Lib Dem ward councillor Katrin McClure said: "It is very tricky as we desperately need affordable housing in the village.

"It's sloping land which goes down to Eppleworth Road which was totally flooded. I certainly have my doubts about that location because of the flooding and the whole flow of water in that area."

A resident, who didn't want to be named, said: "In this supposed post-cynicism era it doesn't look good thatthe opportunity to comment

has been slipped in over Christmas."

Work has to begin by March and be completed by the following year to comply with the funding rules.

East Riding Council denied trying to push the consultation through over the Christmas period saying the tight timescales were "dictating the planning timetable".

The council would take on on board all representations up to the date of the planning meeting.

A spokesman said: "The significant boost in the number of affordable homes is good news for the East Riding and will help meet the acknowledged shortfall in this kind of housing provision."

Built mainly by local contractors, the majority of the planned homes are smaller properties aimed at elderly people, with a view to freeing up family council houses for some of those waiting on the council's 9,000-strong waiting list.

The properties will be built on 31 council-owned sites spread out across the East Riding, including 66 in Bridlington, 21 in Driffield and 54 in Goole. Smaller settlements include Goldie Hill at Sancton, where two properties will be built, and five on School Lane, Keyingham. All the applications will be going to planning between now and March.

East Riding Council has been criticised in the past by the Government for not providing enough affordable homes.

Last September it was awarded 16.6m funding by the Homes and Communities Agency, the highest local authority award in the country. The council is matching the figure.

The last time a council house was built in the East Riding was in 1992.