The Open Forum

Flood Scheme Starts Soon

Blandford's new Flood Defence Scheme will soon begin to take shape. The scheme which has come to fruition over several years was given consent by North Dorset District Council on 20 August 1991.
At its recent meeting, the Avon and Dorset Local Flood Defence Committee ?the watchdog on flooding and land drainage matters appointed by the NRA and the County Councils ? approved the full scheme and allocated funds of almost £1 .3 million to it. Now the NRA is ready to begin the main construction work in January 1992. This should take about a year.

Planning

Planning for the new scheme began in 1979 after over 100 properties in Blandford were flooded, many of them twice. Approximately 180 properties, mainly houses and shops are potentially at risk from a major flood which may, of course, come at any time.
The first stages of the works were completed in 1986, but the further works now being prepared took much more planning. First, engineering consultants were appointed by the NRA to collect the necessary hydraulic data, carry out computer modelling and prepare outline schemes which were environmentally acceptable.
These proposals were then discussed with North Dorset District Council before being put on display at Blandford Town Hall. Several hundred people visited the exhibition there in April and later at the NRA's Blandford Office. A presentation was also made to the Town Council and the District Council's Environmental Services and Planning Committees. Local planning officers have been involved in continuous consultation with working parties during the preparation of the scheme. Regular newsletters have kept local people informed of the scheme's progress.
The NRA's consultants, Peter Brett Associates, have met everybody who is directly affected, and works to accommodate residents' needs are being planned. The new wall will be set back from the river so as to disturb the ecology of the river as little as possible. The line of the wall is now finalised following all the detailed consultations.

Blandford was under water in May 1979, when around 30 properties were flooded, as well as large areas of floodplain upstream and downstream of the town. In December of the same year over 100 properties were inundated in one of the biggest floods this century. Planning started on a scheme to prevent future flooding and further damage to the town.
Special effort has been made in designing this scheme so that it 'ms m with the environment. Its route involves a 100 metre long wall that weaves between important mature trees on the site ? giving the project a ready?made, mature, landscaping. The wall itself will be faced with brickwork and flint panels, materials chosen to reflect the special character of Blandford, which is recognised as one of the finest examples of Georgian architecture.