Flooding fears put question mark over affordable homes for former Lostock Hall Primary School site

Councillors deferred a decision over whether to approve a proposed 50-home development on the plot that was home to Lostock Hall Primary School until it moved in 2010.

The land, on Avondale Drive, is earmarked for housing under South Ribble Borough Council's local plan - and the old school building was finally demolished late last year after standing empty for more than a decade.

However, members of the authority’s planning committee declined to give the go-ahead for the properties - all of which would be classed as affordable - after hearing claims that the drains in the vicinity would be unable to cope.

Preston-based social housing provider Community Gateway Association (CGA) - which is behind the proposal, in conjunction with Westchurch Homes - argued that the infrastructure it was planning to install would actually improve the current situation.

But Paul Nagle, a nearby resident, said that it was “ludicrous” to put further pressure on an already struggling drainage system.

He recalled several incidents in recent years, including one in 2015 when the neighbourhood came together to “bail out” homes which had been invaded by flood waters - with locals left living in fear of a repeat ever since.

“It was a nightmare…and the situation was made worse because there was run-off from the Wilkinson Street drain, which was also overwhelmed, and the water came down our street and joined the water that was gathering at the end of Marilyn Avenue.

”It’s always the case that when we get heavy rain, we start watching the drain, we start seeing the rising water -- and we worry [about whether] this time it's going to come into our house.

“[The system is] so close to disaster already - [so] to add anything to it...would just be crazy,” Mr. Nagle warned.

The area lies in “flood zone 1” - deemed the least likely of locations to flood. Lancashire County Council, as the lead local flood authority (LLFA), withdrew an earlier objection to the application, concluding that the proposal was now acceptable subject to conditions ensuring “sustainable drainage and management”.

However, South Ribble Borough Council leader Paul Foster told the committee that a previous decision it made to approve a development in Higher Walton - on the basis of advice from the LLFA - had led to the building of houses which have subsequently flooded.

He also noted the history of flooding in the Avondale Drive area, adding: “It is justifiable for the committee to question the data the LLFA and others are putting forward to you, because it might be flood zone 1 - but it clearly floods.

“It’s clear that whatever modelling somebody does [from] a computer chair, this development is going to add to an already chronic situation, it cannot help it. It is discharging into a sewer network that is having no additional capacity installed,” Cllr Foster said.

However, the agent for the application sought to persuade the committee that the proposed estate would ease - not exacerbate - any existing problems.

Sarah Jones told members that extensive investigations - including CCTV surveys of the drains - had confirmed that the combined sewer in Moss Lane could be used for both surface and foul water discharge from the site - in the same way that it had been when the school was in operation.

Ms. Jones added: “The scheme would therefore utilise the infrastructure to the west of the site and take drainage away to the west - [that’s] away from the roads to the east and south east, which…have experienced previous issues.

“The scheme fully provides for its own on-site surface water requirements to address rainfall events. Drains throughout the site..would collect water and enable it to be held…in below-ground oversized pipes and cellular blocks.

“It would then be slowly discharged towards Moss Lane at the west of the site at the agreed outflow level of 8.3 litres a second. This would be a reduction of at least 75 percent [compared] to what the school outflow rate was.

“Storage capacity and the control of the site outflow would therefore provide significant betterment to the area and the residents than currently exists, enabling the capacity to be maintained in the wider drainage network during rainfall events,” Ms. Jones explained.

She also stressed that there would be no connection to the drainage system on the Wilkinson Street side of the development.

Papers presented to the meeting noted that United Utilities now agreed that the combined sewer at the junction of Moss Lane and Avondale Drive was the most suitable discharge option. However, committee members were unconvinced, with some wanting to see more details of the drainage plans before determining the application. .

Cllr Caroline Moon said that locals did not appear to be against the planned estate “in principle”.

“They haven't said no to your application, they’ve said, ‘Please don't do this at the expense of our homes flooding.’”

Committee member and cabinet member for planning James Flannery said that the applicants should be credited for creating a 100 percent affordable development, but added that if the concerns of residents and councillors had not been factored in, then that was “unacceptable”.

Although the committee flirted with the idea of refusing the application outright, they ultimately opted to defer it until they had more information about the drainage arrangements.

Earlier, CGA’s Marcus Fisher had told members that the hitherto Preston-focused social landlord had recently begun expanding into South Ribble - and was confident that there would be a “strong demand” for the properties proposed for the Avondale Drive site, which would be made available for affordable rent or shared ownership.

If the scheme is eventually given the go-ahead, the estate will be made up of 42 houses - ranging from two to four bedrooms - and eight one-bedroomed apartments.

Lostock Hall ward councillor Jacqui Mort noted that a previous, separate application for fewer dwellings would have seen the retention of the former school’s playing fields, which could have been used by local children and for sporting activities. An area of public open space is planned for the north west corner of the site under the current proposal, which will be brought back before the committee for fresh consideration at a later date.