Residents in Bradford on Avon are calling for a "permanent, long-term solution" to the town's flood defences.
It comes as more than 350 residents took part in a multi-agency drop-in session to engage in discussion about the issue.
On Monday, July 21, the town’s Holy Trinity Church hosted the event that gave residents the chance to ask questions and share their concerns about flooding with the Environment Agency, Wiltshire Council, Wessex Water, Dr Brian Mathew MP and others.
It follows the announcement that the former flood plan was deemed ‘unviable’.
The scheme which was originally expected to cost £4.5 million has now risen to over £11 million - a cost which cannot be met with current central government funding.
Bradford on Avon has a long history of flooding, but residents say the last few years have been particularly bad.
Resident Christine Marsh does not live down in the basin-like centre of the town, but added she was “fed up” with discussions and would like to see the ball start rolling on solutions.
She said: “I’d like to know how long it is before we have a flood plan.”
One resident who asked to remain anonymous said finding a suitable plan was a “very sophisticated exercise”, and that protecting the town “needs a government-funded solution.”
Another resident wishing to remain anonymous, who said she lived in the town centre, but was protected from the worst thanks to the height of her building, said a “permanent, long-term solution was needed”.
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Danny O’Callaghan, a member of the town’s Community Emergency Volunteer service, said the group had become a force in helping the town, and that four flood wardens, and a WhatsApp group of more than 60 people played a key role in allowing them to help protect businesses as best as they could
He also said, “if this happens again, businesses are going to leave”, adding: “it’s local people that take the hit.”
However, Danny explained that businesses had started to adapt to persistent flooding issues, such as a town hairdressers that moves all of its equipment several feet of the ground when flood warnings are issued to make its clean-up effort more straightforward.
He also praised the community, saying: “People in Bradford are amazing. There’s a real community and they will help out wherever they can."
Ian Withers, the Environment Agency's area director for Wessex also praised the role the community plays in warding off the worst effects of flooding.
He said a number of conditions unique to the town such as its aesthetic and heritage, as well as its geology made a flood mitigation strategy especially difficult in Bradford on Avon. As such, he said an £11 million flood defence system would be an “irresponsible spend”.
He continued: “Instead, and this is the crux of the day, what we’re saying is it is far better to help the town to be more resilient to say to themselves, ‘we will face flooding again, how do we get better at responding to it, and living, mitigating the impacts and getting back on our feet quickly?’"
Mr Withers confirmed the responsibility for protecting properties lay with the owners.
However, he added that Melksham and Devizes MP, Brian Mathew, was pushing for a legislation change in parliament.
“We’re all learning, and every flood tells us something new, about how the environment responds and wat the opportunities are to do better next time. No one is sitting back and saying ‘yeah, we’re as good as we can be’, including ourselves.
“But the key is we work together and Wiltshire Council and the EA and the community can crack this, and if we take this view that we’re not going to stop flooding happening, but we can be better at dealing with it when it does, that’s a better position to be in.”
In a statement, Bradford on Avon town council thanked residents, agencies, and community volunteers for their help in battling flooding issues in the town.
“We all know what a major issue flooding is in our town, and I was pleased to see residents and business owners taking the opportunity to chat with, and question, the organisations we brought together.
“The town council will be reporting back on the next steps once we've collated all the information from those present and I am determined that our town will not be left to go it alone on flooding.”
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