Plans to build 70 homes on farmland in Yorkshire village hit by flooding issues

Stuart Minting
By Stuart Minting
Published 9th May 2023, 04:00 BST
Residents are divided over plans to build 70 houses on farmland in a North Yorkshire village beset by sewage flooding onto existing properties.

While some people living in East Cowton, between Northallerton and Darlington, said social housing provider Adderstone Living’s application to develop affordable houses off Birkby Lane will provide a much-needed boost to local services and infrastructure, others fear it will exacerbate drainage issues.

The proposal, which is set to be considered by North Yorkshire Council on Thursday, comes 12 years after consent was granted for 45 homes on the site provided drainage infrastructure was improved.

An officer’s report to the council’s Richmond constituency committee states that, owing to the relatively small size of the development and the onerous infrastructure requirements, no company came forward to develop the site due to alleged viability issues.

The land off Birkby LaneThe land off Birkby Lane
The land off Birkby Lane

The combined drainage system for the village ends at the pumping station on Main Street, from where it is pumped to the treatment works.

When surface water inundates the system, the pumps cannot cope with the flows and the storage tanks become full after a period which backs up the drains in Daykn Close.

Yorkshire Water has tried to resolve the issue by building a tank below the village green, but it remains a problem during times of heavy rainfall.

The officer’s report states the proposed design includes a new surface water drain on Main Street, which will run alongside and be connected to the existing gullies and drains to alleviate surface water flooding currently experienced on occasions of extremely high and sudden rainfall.

The proposed scheme has been calculated to allow for rainfall “in excess of a one in 100 year event”.

The report states: “This is a very pressing situation for local residents who have sought improvements to the system for a number of years owing to inundation of foul waters on relative regular occasion.”

The plan has attracted some backing in the village, with one resident lodging a letter of support stating: “Additional housing would be a huge boost to village life. Additional housing would bring additional families, something which the school, pub and village shop would all benefit from.”

In its own letter of support, the parish council said that, in light also of historic problems in the village concerning flooding, drainage calculations must be robust and accurate with a view to ensuring adequate infrastructure.

Nevertheless, other residents have objected to the increased size of the development, saying it is not in keeping with the rest of the village.

One resident wrote: “The reason for this increase would appear to be purely economic rather than socially motivated. The lengthy historical flooding issues of East Cowton are well documented and ongoing.”

Recommending that the proposal be approved, the officer’s report concludes: “It is clear that Yorkshire Water are not in a position to resolve these issues and that they are otherwise satisfied with the performance of the foul network.”