By John Elvidge, chairman of the Raynes Park and West Barnes Residents' Association

Open letter to Ged Curran, Merton Council chief executive

For many years, the Association has been seriously concerned about precipitation from the top of the common increasing flooding in West Barnes.

Questions by the Association, individual residents and councillors (including Councillor Debbie Shears) directly to various officers from Alison Broom onwards, plus successive Forum Meetings and culminating in a report to [Director of Regeneration] Chris Lee, have failed to elicit comment.

We now need answers to the following:

  1. Why have these ordinary watercourses been neglected?
  2. Why have officers failed to exercise their duties under the 1991 Drainage Act to ensure that they are fit for purpose to drain water away from the Pyl Brook as they used to do?
  3. When will they be dredged to safeguard properties at lower levels in West Barnes, Lower Morden and Cannon Hill wards?

I might add that the 2011 Water and Drainage Act continues the local authority's responsibiltiies for such ordinary watercourses.

Water can now be proved to flow from the top of the common through voids below properties in Parkway and Elm Walk, to the Raynes Park Playing Fields (RPPF) and properties in Southway and Grand Drive.

This additional water flow overloads the drainage system to the Pyl Brook and also the Pyl Culvert.

By November 2010, the whole drainage system from the RPPF, Southway and Grand Drive Surface Water Sewers was fut for purpose throughout its length and yet the heavy rain of January 17 and 18, 2011, still flooded the properties mentioned above.

The Planning Application 10/P3119 by the All England Lawn Tennis Club, via PCL, to develop part of the RPPF contains a flood mitigation proposal which includes the flow from the top of Cannon Hill common. We feel that this would be unsafe.

Precipitation flowing from the top of Cannon Hill Common should be directed northward to the large surface water sewer under Bushey Road which flows directly to the Beverley Brook, down stream of the Pyl Brook's outfall.

Former Councillor, Danny Connellan confirmed two points from his time as a member of the Planning Applications Committee:

  1. The Pyl Culvert was constructed in 1947 before properties were developed on the west side of Grand Drive, south of Westway.
  2. The Cannon Hill Ditches used to be cleared annually and drained to the end of Whatley Avenue where the flow entered the surface water sewer system, flowing to Martin Way and the Bushey Road surface water sewer as suggested above.

I look forward to receiving answers from you before the above Outline Planning Application is heard by the Planning Applications Committee which may be as soon as next month.

Got something to say? Send your letter to: letters@wimbledonguardian.co.uk

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