For the Wall

Blandford needs the flood wall, says the NRA.

The National Rivers Authority's £1.1 million flood alleviation scheme at Blandford represents good value for money and offers genuine protection to properties against inevitable future floods, says the NRA's new works manager Richard Horrocks. The flood wall has been designed to protect against the "200 year flood", which would be?far more devastating than the 1979 floods when 38 properties were flooded in May and 110 in December. Total damage in the December floods has been estimated at £900,000, and the cost of a similar flood now its put at around £2 million.

Despite works along the river, and concern about water levels in other rivers, the engineers say that tire hydrology of the Stour has not changed ?the river Stour floods frequently, and the problem would not be solved by dredging and weed cutting, or making stew weirs and hatches. The current volume of opposition to the scheme has come as a surprise to the NRA ? the public exhibition in the town hall earlier in the year was well received, says Mr Horrocks, but some residence have clearly changed their minds, and people who were apparently happy then have since become objectors. People's memories tend to be very short, he says. "After the 1979 event we were asked to provide a scheme but attitudes change and people forget". He accepted that some people had changed their minds, because they realised the flood wall which would be just under six foot high at that point - would cut off parts of their gardens.

We can't live in a society where we leave high-risk areas like this, says Chris Bray flood defence engineer Avon and Dorset. "People perhaps don't think enough about future generations.

NRA engineers were meeting members of Blandford Civic Society last Friday to attempt to answer some of their concerns. They will also have;; to address the points raised by North Dorset MP Nicholas Baker who has taken up the objections raised by a number of Blandford residents.

'"There is general concern at the expenditure of his substantial sum of money on a scheme which will undoubtedly damage the river bank environment and is widely thought to be unnecessary and by some ineffective." Says Mr Baker.

Go ahead for Blandford flood wall

The National Rivers Authority will be going ahead with the £1.1 million flood alleviation scheme at Blandford. Work is due to start in January 1992 and will take about 18 months to complete.

The decision was taken at last week's meeting of the Avon and Dorset local flood defence committee at the NRA office at Blandford last week.

The committee, which is responsible for flood defence and land drainage matters throughout Dorset and South Wiltshire, considered the results of public consultation in the town. It noted that questionnaires resumed by visitors to the exhibitions about the scheme supported it in a ratio of 2:1.

Committee chairman Roger Willis said the flood wall was well designed and would benefit Blandford. "Once the scheme has been completed the threat of flooding to nearly 200 properties will be removed," he said. "The NRA has been particularly sensitive to ensure that the flood walls and embankments blend in with the environment by using local materials."

The committee also agreed that there should be a meeting with North Dorset MP Nicholas Baker to explain the importance of the scheme.

Flood scheme starts at Sturminster Marshall

While many Blandford residents apparently view flood alleviation works with alarm, there is no such opposition to the £370,000 scheme which has just started at Sturminster Marshall.

The scheme involves the construction of flood walls and earth embankments along the banks of the Winterbourne and Stour, and is due to be completed by next spring. It will protect over 130 properties ? 50 were flooded in 1979.