Flooding Update - 21st February 2024
(Update on 24th February has been added below)
In the last 4 months Seer Green entrances to the village have
been flooded on Monday 13th November 2023, 9th December 2023, 5th January 2024
and 18th January 2024. Work has been carried out by Bucks Council to
alleviate some of the issues. Below is an update of the current status.
Newbarn Lane: Drain clearance was carried out by
Bucks Council on 12th December 2023 but both sides of the carriageway still
flood. The Capital Drains Team informed the Parish Council that “we are
aware that the soakaway on the corner of Newbarn Lane may need a borehole to
remove this area of flooding and we are hoping that this could be installed
this coming financial year.” We understand that the work is in the
Capital Drains Team 5 year plan. The Parish Council have requested that this
work to be scheduled ASAP.
The Bucks Council Highways Local Area Technician
and the Parish Council have been discussing the fact that the flooding on
Newbarn Lane is partially being caused by a significant amount of water coming
from Rawlings Lane, further investigation is needed by the Local Area
Technician, which is already underway. The recutting of small sections at
the side of the ditch on Rawlings Lane needs to be carried out to make it more
effective and so that it takes more water from the road surface. The
Local Area Technician has ordered this work.
Chalfont Road was flooded across both carriageways
on Sunday 18th February 2024 but it was passable on one side as the Bucks Council Super
Sucker had cleared out the drains, gullies and borehole on 26th January 2024. Bucks Council completed a significant expansion of the drainage system on Chalfont Road in 2022 to take more water off the road. There is an illegal drainage of water from private land onto the Highway
being currently being investigated and dealt with by Bucks Council.
Bottom Lane has no drains/gullies for about a mile
from Rawlings Lane at Hodgemoor Wood down to the bend towards the junction with
Long Bottom Lane. At this point there are approximately 9 drainage points
outside 3 properties which were all cleared by the Super Sucker on 25th January
2024. However, the water from these drains just goes into the ditch at
the side of the road which is full. Further work is required to the ditch
to allow it to take more water. We understand that our Bucks Highways
Local Area Technician has raised orders for this ditch clearance and we are
waiting for details for when this work will be carried out.
The water at the end of Bottom Lane is pooling
badly across both carriageways of Long Bottom Lane during heavy rain. Part of
the issue is due to the drains being blocked on Long Bottom Lane. The
water has eroded the surface of Long Bottom Lane which now needs resurfacing.
We understand that Bucks Council were due to do resurfacing work two weeks ago but the work was
cancelled due to bad weather. Dates for this comprehensive repair have been requested from Bucks Council.
A section of Bottom Lane is in a terrible
condition due to the heavy vehicles used for two large developments. We are
concerned that the site run off water is affecting the road and adding to the
existing problem caused by lack of drainage. Bucks Council have struggled
to repair the road due to the wet weather and high number of vehicles on this
road which has a sign saying Unsuitable for Heavy Vehicles. Bucks Council
have told us that they plan to carry out a proper resurfacing when the
developments are complete. The situation is being monitored by the Local
Area Technician.
Long Bottom Lane:- Highways informed the
Parish Clerk on 9th February 2024 that the drains on Long Bottom Lane are due
to be cleared before the end of this financial year.
There is a blocked drain on Potkiln lane which we
had previously reported on Fix My Street. The drain pipes from Long Bottom Lane
to the ditch and field beyond have been cleared in the last two weeks.
The Bucks Council Waste Team has had the Road Sweeper down as requested to clear the
surface mud. The ditch urgently needs clearing and this work has been
ordered by our Local Area Technician.
The drain at the bottom of Bayne Hill reported
back in March is still solidly blocked hampering the water getting to the drainage ditch
which was cleared by Bucks Council last year. An order has been raised for this work.
We are concerned that a development between Bayne
Hill and Bottom Lane on Long Bottom Lane may have blocked the drains and there
is a ‘mud on the road’ sign where this has happened. This issue is being
investigated by the Local Area Technician and the drains, gullies and ditch
need clearing.
The Parish Council has written to Martin Tett, Leader of Buckinghamshire Council raising the concerns and asking for him to work with the Parish Council to ensure that the Capital Drains Team, engineer a long term and effective solution for the Bottom Lane/Long Bottom Lane area of the village.
The Parish Council continues to log highways
issues on Fix My Street on a weekly basis and encourages residents of the
village to do the same. Progress meetings are held with Buckinghamshire Council. Our Buckinghamshire Councillor, Carl Jackson often attends the Parish Council meetings to
discuss the issues and escalate them within Bucks Council.
If you wish to discuss the above or any other
concerns with the Parish Council please email the Parish Clerk on clerk@seergreenparishcouncil.gov.uk or please come to the Parish Council meeting
on the first Tuesday of every month (except for August) at the Baptist Church
in Wood Pond Close at 7.30pm.
24th February 2024
Latest information that we have received from Bucks Council:-
Longbottom Lane was scheduled to be repaired 3 weeks ago. The road was due to be closed for 3 days to allow for extensive work - not just filling potholes, but resurfacing the badly damaged sections. However, the wet conditions meant any repair work attempted would have failed within days, so it was postponed.
The work will be booked in as soon as it is forecast to have a few days of dry weather, which will allow the Council to make proper, lasting repairs. This was confirmed with the Cabinet Member for Transport yesterday.
On Wednesday (20th February), Bucks Council voted to add £5 million to the road repair budget for this financial year. At the Full Council meeting our County Councillor Carl Jackson specifically requested Longbottom Lane and Bottom Lane should be prioritised for work using the extra money.