As we posted on 21 June (below) and after about 10 years of perseverance by the RRA and Cllrs, we have been advised by the Council that the flood alleviation works for Riddlesdown will be starting on Monday 26 July and run until 31 August (now 14 September). There will traffic disruption during this period with temporary traffic lights in place.

We quote from the Council: “The works will initially start on Mitchley Ave at the junction to Lower Barn Rd. The works will involve the installation of linear drainage, construction of inspection chambers and soakaways, (which will be on the grass verge behind the bus stop and on the grass verge near to St Edmund’s).  The works have been programmed to be completed before or on 31 August 2021 (subject to no major engineering difficulties being encountered), and the first couple of days would involve mainly setting out the site.

In order to facilitate the works and ensure they are completed safely, road and footway closure would be necessary, as well as bus stop suspension.  The co-operation of residents and road users would be required to ensure the works are completed as quickly as possible and safely.  Some disruptions are unavoidable.  However, these would be kept to a minimum and the operatives on site would be available to offer assistance where this may be required.

Phase 2 of the works (near to the railway bridge in Lower Barn Rd) is currently expected to follow immediately phase 1 is completed. We have however asked the contractors to look at starting some activities related to phase 2 of the works whilst phase 1 is ongoing, the installation of a new soakaway near the station entrance however, this will be subject to health and safety and other necessary clearances and permissions obtained.”

Footnote – It is expected that flooding will not stop completely under the railway bridge, but it is hoped these flood alleviation works will reduce the flooding risk substantially. Time will tell!

In view of the heavy rain over the last few days and flooding, we have recently been given a new start date for works by the Council to try and alleviate the surface water flooding issues in Riddlesdown.

This work is on Mitchley Avenue near St Edmund’s and also in Lower Barn Road by the railway bridge.

Phil Thomas from the RRA and Cllr Helen Redfern met with Steve Iles, the Council’s Director for Public Realm by video a few weeks ago, and we were given a start date of 24 July. The works will continue until completed around about 16 September. The contractor FM Conway should start on the main A 2022 (Mitchley Ave) first and undertake these works during the school summer holidays and then move onto Lower Barn Rd.

We have yet to see the final plans/proposed works, but hopefully these works will help to substantially reduce the flooding risk at these two locations. The RRA pointed out to the Director that extensive cleaning of gullies and soakaways on the many streets further away that flow to these two low points also needs to be done, and this will also be looked at as well by the Council. Because of the chalk sub-strata there are no surface water sewers in Riddlesdown.

We will update further nearer the time. Hopefully, this time the work will go ahead after several false starts and budget issues!

Photo below of Mitchley Ave by St Edmund’s on 18 June 2021 – credit Cllr Helen Redfern

The RRA learnt with dismay and huge annoyance yesterday (15/11/20), that Croydon Council have now cancelled the 1st phase of the flood prevention works that should have commenced in September 2020 but have been delayed for various reasons for both the flooded hotspots of Mitchley Ave (by St Ed’s) and in Lower Barn Rd under the railway bridge.

The Council have been given the money to spend on various flooding schemes in the Borough by DEFRA but because of the Section 114 issued last week by the Council, they have now decided to incorporate this money within the general fund. The RRA find this quite appalling.

The RRA have been complaining to the Council for about 10 years now, to get something done about the flooding – which is getting worse and more frequent and we thought we were close to achieving this. Ward Cllr Helen Redfern has also been involved with this flooding issue since being elected in 2018.

The RRA are currently reviewing the options but we may well take this further (we subsequently sent a stage 1 complaint to the Council). But for the time being be prepared for more flooding in Riddlesdown (like the photos in 2015) that at times does cut our community in half with a 1 mile detour up and down steep hills to the shops and/or up or down line rail platforms and vice versa.

The RRA are also extremely concerned about the complete lack of street cleaning and that virtually all road gully grids in the roads leading to these two areas are blocked with leaves at the moment. A number of elderly residents have also expressed concern to us that they are afraid to go out in case they slip over on the wet leaves on some of the sloping pavements.

Photos; credit Darren Wittwer – 24/8/15

Following heavy rain flooding has occurred at least three times in December (15th, 20th & 21st) as well as 26/27 November (see below), under the railway bridge in Lower Barn Rd. This has caused issues for rail commuters and also residents trying to access the shops. It was particularly bad on 21 December and lasted all morning and into the afternoon. The detour if residents and/or commuters don’t want to get wet feet, is about 1 mile.

The RRA have been in regular contact with senior Council Officers and local Councillors about this and we have been told after the flooding on 21 December, that the Council that  the section 19, of the Flood and Water Management Act 2010 which was instigated in 2015 by the Council as the Lead Local Flood Authority (LLFA) is still is applicable.

This basically says:

19 Local authorities: investigations

(1) On becoming aware of a flood in its area, a lead local flood authority must, to the extent that it considers it necessary or appropriate, investigate –

(a) which risk management authorities have relevant flood risk management functions, and

(b) whether each of those risk management authorities has exercised, or is proposing to exercise, those functions in response to the flood.

(2) Where an authority carries out an investigation under subsection (1) it must-

(a) publish the results of its investigation, and

(b) notify any relevant risk management authorities.

We have commented further to the Council that many of Riddlesdown’s streets have not been cleaned that well by Veolia of leaves and there are many road gullies that are blocked and have been for some time (especially in Lower Barn Rd and Coombe Wood Hill). We have been told that Lower Barn Rd was like a river on the last flooding event. This is probably because flooding also occurred on Mitchley Ave by the zebra crossing and it overspilled into Lower Barn Rd.

The RRA believe the situation may have got worse at this location since the construction of the boundary wall and raised ground levels of the flats at Riddleah Court in 2014. This has now prevented flood water overspilling into the former woodland and the existing soakaways at this location cannot take the volume of surface water now.

We will continue to monitor the situation.

Two Photos taken 21 December 2019

 

 

Following the heavy rain overnight and the early morning flooding under the railway bridge in Lower Barn Road which caused issues for some commuters, the RRA have contacted the Council about this.

We have commented to the Council that many of Riddlesdown’s streets have not been cleaned by Veolia for well in excess of 6 weeks (if not longer). There are leaves everywhere on footways, gutters and in the carriageways. Many gully grids are blocked and have been for some time (especially in Lower Barn Rd) and some have long term debris matter in them and not just with the current leaf fall. Lower Barn Rd gully grids are awful and it isn’t surprising this flooding happens so frequently now.

We have asked for some urgent action to clear all gully grids locally to stop this flooding happening again with all the rain we are getting at the moment and to clean the streets. We have received many complaints recently, particularly from the elderly that footways are extremely slippery with leaf fall (especially by the station entrance under the rail bridge in LBR) and made worse when it is frosty.

It needs to be remembered this area under the rail bridge is the lowest level from far away, such as Honister Heights, top of Mitchley Hill, top of Rectory Park, Westfield Ave, top of Coombe Wood Hill etc and all surface water from these roads, if not collected on route in road gullies, flows and ponds at this low point in Lower Barn Rd. It covers a large area of streets.

In return the Direct of Public Realm at the Council has responded:

“that the torrential rain last night has seen a few locations around the borough experiencing localised flooding which the teams are dealing with.

I note your comment regarding gully clearing and I am aware in roads where they are heavily parked it is not easy to access all gullies and as such this puts added pressure on those that are accessible. We will check the gullies in and around the station and where necessary cleanse, if there are gullies further up the road that need attending too they will put together a plan to close the road and cleanse them all.

Veolia do bring in additional resources to undertake leaf clearing, this is an additional service to the routine street cleansing activity. We will arrange for the streets to be checked and cleansed where necessary.

If not already I would appreciate if you could encourage residents to report environmental issue through our online reporting processes, I have attached a useful leaflet which you may want to circulate.”

We have responded in respect of the on street parking comment that it can only get worse, with all the new flats being approved locally by Planners and insufficient on site parking and more vehicles will therefore be parking on the roads causing more street cleaning issues!

We will continue to monitor the situation.

This is the link to the Council website to report Environmental issues.