[diggers350] Thousands take part in Tewkesbury flood plain protest

[Simon Fairlie]

Pity they didn't come to Heathrow, it would have made more publicity  
for both causes.

Simon


On 18 Aug 2007, at 22:04, Tony Gosling wrote:

> Thousands take part in Tewkesbury flood plain protest
>
> INCLUDING Intl. Economic meltdown briefings
> http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=a.TCzAjLnkKY
> http://onlinejournal.com/artman/publish/article_2304.shtml
>
> March against flood-plain housing
> http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/gloucestershire/6952502.stm
>
> Residents of one of the worst-hit towns during last month's flooding
> crisis have staged a march against any plans to build on flood plains.
>
> Thousands of people walked through Tewkesbury in the rain on  
> Saturday to
> urge the government to review its policy on such development.
>
> Organisers wanted to highlight the devastation caused by flooding.
>
> The government has not ruled out using flood plains under plans to  
> build
> three million new homes by 2020.
>
> The march began at 1400 BST and a moment's silence was held for  
> those who
> lost their lives in the floods.
>
> It does need the government to look at the issue again
> Philip Workman Tewkesbury town councillor
>
> Tewkesbury resident Mary Daff, 59, told BBC News that her house had
> flooded and she was not expecting to be back in until December.
>
> "There has been a good turnout for the march and the mood is  
> cheerful,"
> she added.
>
> Hundreds of homes and businesses were damaged in Tewkesbury after the
> Rivers Severn and Avon burst their banks in July.
>
> Chuck Pavey, who sits on the town council, said: "Any change has  
> got to
> come from the top down.
>
> "Ministers who say we shouldn't rule out building on the flood plain
> should come and live here.
>
> "There were over a thousand homes flooded here - many of them brand  
> new -
> and some of the businesses will never reopen."
>
> 'Better alternatives'
>
> Town councillor Philip Workman added: "We have been through an  
> absolutely
> awful time in Tewkesbury.
>
> "Many, many hundreds of people have been flooded out and it is a  
> case of
> highlighting the fact that this is a very real problem for us."
>
> The government should think "out of the box" when considering  
> building on
> flood plains, he said.
>
> "It is a difficult problem, but it does need the government to look  
> at the
> issue again to review its policy on building on flood plains  
> because it
> just seems to the average person a nonsensical thing to do," he added.
>
> In July, Housing Minister Yvette Cooper told MPs no new building  
> should
> take place in areas with severe flood risks, although the government's
> Housing Green Paper is less definitive.
>
> It says it should be avoided "if better alternatives can be found  
> in the
> same area".
>
> Ms Cooper had earlier said some new homes would be built on flood  
> plains,
> subject to appropriate flood defences.
>
> A spokesman from the Communities and Local Government department  
> added:
> "It is councils who decide whether to give planning permissions for  
> new
> housing developments, but we have introduced the strongest planning  
> rules
> ever to ensure they properly manage the risk of flooding.
>
> "The new planning rules require councils to consult with the  
> Environment
> Agency before allowing new building in flood risk areas."
>
> Story from BBC NEWS:
> http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/england/gloucestershire/ 
> 6952502.stm
> Published: 2007/08/18 14:52:05 GMT
>
> 5.27PM - THOUSANDS TAKE PART IN FLOODS PROTEST MARCH
> http://www.thisisgloucestershire.co.uk/displayNode.jsp? 
> nodeId=231771&command=displayContent&sourceNode=231754&home=yes&more_n 
> odeId1=231776&contentPK=18140197
> Thousands of people have taken part in a march in Tewkesbury to  
> protest
> against any plans to build on flood plains.
> Residents and politicians braved the rain in the hope of persuading  
> the
> Government to review its policy on such developments.
> Current policy has not ruled out using flood plains in plans for three
> million new homes to be built in the next 13 years.
> The march began at 2pm with a minute's silence for the victims of  
> the July
> floods.
> For the full story, please see Monday's editions of the  
> Gloucestershire
> Echo and the Citizen.
>
> -- 
> www.public-interest.co.uk
> www.new-byzantium.org
> www.radiodialect.net
> www.cultureshop.org
> www.evnuk.org.uk
> www.tlio.org.uk
>
> BRISTOL
> +44 117 944 6219
>
>  
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