Flooding concerns over plans to raise Saxilby land

After planning permission was granted to build a replacement property and a new detached garage on what has been described as a “self-build” plot on West Bank, proposals to raise the ground have been submitted to the council.

The approved dwelling is now substantially complete, and the applicant, Giles Kirk, wishes to raise the level of the land back to its original state to make the site more usable.

However, several members of the community have raised concerns about the idea, noting that the land in question has been a floodplain and boggy ground for more than a hundred years.

They fear that should the plans go ahead, it will flood neighbouring fields and properties.

Ward councillor Jackie Brockway (Conservative) explained her objection to the proposal.

She said: “This is very serious because the applicant is attempting to raise the levels of what has been a flood plain and boggy ground for more than 100 years.

“The application talks of raising the land to where it was previously, but residents who have lived on West Bank for many years assert that it has always been as low as it is now. If this land is raised it will flood the neighbours.

“At the moment, the site is under a lot of water and it is certainly not suitable for raising or development of any kind.

“It’s a flood plain and needs to remain as such.”

Over the past few months local residents living along West Bank have called for help due to the worsening condition of their road and riverbank, which threatens to leave them isolated.

They attribute the damage to the road and riverbank to the heavy traffic of delivery trucks servicing local businesses and tankers accessing Anglian Water’s sewage works at the end of the road.

Saxilby Parish Council also believes that the construction traffic from raising the ground on this plot of land will worsen matters.

West Lindsey District Council’s Planning Committee was due to discuss the application at their meeting on Wednesday, February 28.