Fighting floods
RAINFALL during February was two and a half times the long term average, with a deluge of this magnitude last seen in 2014.
Although the county’s wettest day was February 15, Malling has experienced flooding of rivers, drains and roads throughout the month and into March.
Here is a summary of the action being taken at key flood sites...
• Church Walk and New Road, East Malling. A contractor was due to jet the pipes out on March 17 after a blockage in the system, caused by a lump of concrete, was removed to clear the flow. Michelle Tatton and Roger Roud continue to urge Kent County Council (KCC) to increase the capacity of the pipes around the New Road/Chapman Way junction to allow flood waters to drain away more quickly into the lake and stream on East Malling Research land.
• Lunsford Lane flooding. East Malling and Larkfield parish council continues to press KCC to deal with the flooding that occurs most times it rains on the corner of Lunsford Lane where it joins A20. The water is supposed to flow into the lake on the other side of the lane.
• Frog Lane, West Malling. One drain has been lifted and a new kerb installed to direct flood water away from house fronts. Pipes have now been jetted. Cllr Trudy Dean has asked for legal advice on who has the authority to insist that Network Rail finds a way of piping the stream beneath the railway bridge in flood conditions. Network Rail’s last attempt at increasing the capacity of the drain has proved insufficient, and the terrace of cottages is threatened with flooding. Meanwhile, a resident has excavated part of the pipework and managed to scrape out pieces of rock- hard tufa. This is formed when calcium carbonate sticks to moss on the side of pipes, slowing the water’s speed, in the same way kettle and shower pipes get “furred up”. It seems possible that the tufa may be forming a lining inside the pipes and restricting the flow, causing the stream to flood its banks. KCC have agreed to use an underground camera to scan the pipes for blockages. If it proves to be obstructed in this way, the tufa will need to be cut out. The Swan Street cascade flows over large pieces of tufa, which were
Delays leave Green Belt vulnerable
INSPECTORS appointed by the Government to examine Tonbridge and Malling’s Local Plan have announced a further delay to the process.
They now want to lengthen their preliminary hearing from three days on May 19, 20 and 21 to include a further two days in June.
They say they need to explore legal issues, the criteria for house building site selection, and the Green Belt proposals. This extends the time during which the borough is vulnerable to house builders piling in with new applications, hoping to bypass local views before the land gets new Green Belt protection from development.
Search for speeding hotspots
THE county council is refusing to pay for the replacement of flashing speed indicator signs on New Hythe Lane and Lunsford Lane, Larkfield. County councillor Trudy Dean paid for these originally out of her Councillors Community Fund for local projects. Before she does so again, she wants to fund professional speed surveys to identify hotspots throughout the area she represents.
On her list already are New Hythe Lane, Lunsford Lane, Kingfisher Road, Clare Lane, Wateringbury Road, Swan Street, Town Hill, Swallow Road and St Leonards Street.
prized in Victorian times.
• More Park School, Lucks Hill. Drainage engineers have discovered the system has been severed, and they are working out how to replace it after soakaways were cleared on February 19.
• A20 near Sainsbury’s. Getting rid of this particular lake has proved challenging with funding, land ownership and the problem of persuading water to flow uphill. The latest plan is to incorporate the scheme into the “proposed roundabout”. This scheme will replace the Coldharbour Roundabout with a giant roundabout linking Hermitage Lane with the motorway slip roads.
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