Blackburn housing estate flooding problem will cost £400k

The moves came as an angry local councillor said the council had been warned the flooding would happen years ago, but went ahead with house plans regardless.

The cash will come from £750,000 originally earmarked for off-site affordable housing when developers Barratt Homes and Taylor Wimpey were granted planning permission for the scheme off Broken Stone Road in Feniscowles in 2019.

But since work started on the estate in March 2022, flooding in the area has begun to cause problems for nearby residents, with their gardens and garages being saturated.

On Thursday, May 22, Blackburn with Darwen Council’s planning committee authorised the transfer of £400,000 of the Section 106 affordable housing cash to new drainage works along Broken Stone Road and Hordern Rake to tackle the flooding.

Tory development spokesperson, Livesey with Pleasington ward’s Cllr Paul Marrow, said: “I’ll accept it, but I am very, very annoyed about it.

“Residents and councillors have been warning about this for years – that it wasn’t safe.

“It’s a torrent when the water comes down Broken Stone Road.

“The council has let people down.

Cllr Paul Marrow said the council was warned about flood risk 'years ago' (Image: BwDC)

“I hope £400,000 from affordable housing is going to sort this out. It should have been sorted long ago.”

Planning manager Gavin Prescott told the meeting: “Since the current Section 106, a new infrastructure issue has arisen.

“Significant episodes of flooding have occurred along Broken Stone Road and Horden Rake, caused by new housing development.

“Consequently, sizable drainage improvements to Broken Stone Road are required to alleviate the issue.

“The council’s drainage manager has estimated the budget for these works to be £400,000.

“To secure the necessary funding, a proportionate solution would be to redirect £400,000 of the affordable housing contribution secured under the original Section 106 to the drainage works, thereby reducing the affordable housing contribution to £350,000.

“Frequent and significant occurrences of flooding along Broken Stone and Horden Rake, evidently arising from adjacent housing construction, mean that intervention is urgently required.

“It is proposed to redirect a financial contribution towards off-site affordable housing to fund the new drainage infrastructure.

“Reducing the affordable housing contribution is considered a reasonable and proportionate approach to securing the necessary funding, especially as affordable housing has recently been secured on the opposite side of Broken Stone Road / Horden Rake, at the (Kingswood) Green Hills development.

“Securing the funding would enable the prompt undertaking of the necessary remedial works to alleviate flood risk.”

Blackburn with Darwen Council’s growth boss, Cllr Quesir Mahmood, said: “We can use this money to rectify the problem.

“It is good sense, and we can still meet our affordable housing targets.”

Committee chair Cllr Dave Smith said: “There is a problem with the drainage on Broken Stone Road and this will enable it to be resolved.”