Aston Chase Flood Alleviation Scheme
If you walk up Pingle Lane towards the farm, then take the footpath to the right, it soon joins another track. If you follow the track/footpath, it will eventually lead to Holly Wood and then on to Cotwalton Lane, but let's stick with the track for now. Before you've gone very far at all, the track crosses a small brook (which may run dry in the Summer). Cross the stile, then look to your right. You will see that the brook disappears into a concrete and steel structure at the base of a grassed embankment. Want to know more? then read on...
In August of 2004, some areas of Aston Lodge and beyond were flooded by this brook, which flows from north to south, through the centre of our estate.
A Series of Floods
The initial flash flood occurred in the evening of 5th August. And although a substantial amount of rain fell on that occasion, actual damage to property (sufficient to warrant an insurance claim) was minimal. The second heavy rainfall was mid-morning on 10th August. The surrounding farmland above the estate was already waterlogged at this stage, so although the rainfall was not as great as the previous occasion, the effects were similar (mainly flooded gardens but some water ingress to properties, garages, sheds etc.).
The last occurrence, on the evening of 16th August, was worse than on either of the two previous occasions. Again, because the surrounding farmland (clay soil) was, by now, pretty sodden, the effects of runoff were particularly severe.
The rain, which started as a hailstorm, on 16th August had almost stopped, when a huge torrent of water came rushing down through the estate. In less than half an hour, the water collected in the valley at the top of the estate (adjacent to Aston Chase) and rose 5 metres (12 metres wide in places), before flooding over the road and down through the park. The culvert, which takes the brook through gardens on Springwood Drive, Staines Court and Mercer Avenue was completely overwhelmed, causing properties on Springwood Drive and Mercer Avenue to flood.
When the water reached Mercer Avenue, the road drains were unable to cope with the huge volume of flood water (approximately a metre deep at one point). The majority of it continued across the road, flooding properties in Harrow Place, before passing under the railway at Lyndhurst Grove, where a lake had formed. It's estimated that the culvert under the railway, must have been running at full capacity for at least an hour!
I believe the fence at the bottom of this garden was eventually washed away by the huge volume of water flowing in the brook.
When the water reached Lichfield Road, it caused some flooding in the vicinity, with a substantial amount of water flowing down the road (towards the town). The water from the brook then joined that already lying in Lichfield Road, flooding a number of properties there also. The water continued flowing through the gardens on Lichfield Road, causing further flooding to properties in Fallowfield Close, Thomas Avenue and St. Michael's First School.
Aston Lodge Residents Flood Association
Instead of pursuing individual solutions, via the authorities, it was decided that a combined effort by Aston Lodge residents was more likely to achieve the desired outcome (i.e., future flood prevention).
The Aston Lodge Residents Flood Association (ALRFA) was formed in September 2004 by Jeremy Slann, John Whitehouse, Nigel Holmes and others affected by the flooding.
What Next?
Whilst the flooding described above was severe and caused by weather which could perhaps be described as 'abnormal', with changing weather patterns, a repeat occurrence could not be ruled out. Therefore, ALRFA campaigned for flood prevention work to be carried out by the relevant authorities, to reduce future risk.
Meetings
The first public meeting to discuss the problems of flooding in the Aston Lodge and Lichfield Road areas, was arranged by John Wakefield (Staffordshire County Councillor) on Monday 27th September 2004 (Meeting Notes). ALRFA was represented at that meeting and was subsequently able to provide data, proving that over 25 properties had been adversely affected by the flooding.
Data Gathering
In order to prove the viability of a 'Flood Alleviation Scheme', it was necessary to gather data from the residents affected by the flooding in all the areas identified above. This data was gathered over several days by ALRFA and recorded on the following map:
Haswell Report
A series of further meetings were held through to November 2005, when the Haswell Report was published. This report identified possible solutions to the flooding problem, which are illustrated in this Flood Study Presentation (including an appendix from the Environment Agency - EA).
Planning
Regular meetings then took place between ALRFA and Neil Lote, from the EA, to discuss the proposal and implementation of the 'Aston Chase Flood Alleviation Scheme' (example of a typical communication with the EA in 2008).
By the Summer of 2009, the planning stage was complete and the details were made available to residents via this EA newsletter.
Construction
Construction work started in August 2009, but was held up by heavy storms in November, when the ground became too waterlogged to continue.
Work recommenced in May 2010, with good progress made over the summer...
Almost there...
Completion
The following newspaper article was published on the front page of the Staffordshire Newsletter (Stone Edition) on 2nd October 2010, as the project was nearing completion. Select the image to view in full size (2.5MB) or you can also view it as a (screen readable) PDF.
The scheme was due to be officially opened on 2nd December 2010 and the site would have been available for public inspection (see EA news release) but unfortunately, the event was cancelled at the last minute, due to a heavy overnight snowfall!
There have been numerous occasions over recent years, when we have witnessed the effects of climate change and seen the misery inflicted on people whose homes have been flooded multiple times. Fortunately, thanks to campaigning by ALRFA, representation by John Wakefield and an element of luck (with regard to securing the funding for the scheme), we have not suffered anything similar since.
Although the scheme has continued to protect the estate (and the wider area), it's difficult to understand why developers continue to try to build on land that's susceptible to flooding, knowing that some insurers are reluctant to provide cover for homes that have flooded in the last 10 years.
The Grassy Patch was also flooded in 2004, as was the adjacent bungalow. Subsequently, work was carried out by the EA to attenuate the flow of the smaller stream and build trash screens at the point where the two streams enter the culvert… But is this land really suitable for housing?