Homeowners in one of Norfolk’s fastest-growing towns are calling for an investigation into a housing development built on a floodplain they claim caused the worst flooding in living memory.
Dozens of homes in Attleborough were swamped by a deluge of flood water following Storm Babet’s torrential rain – forcing some families to flee their homes.
Locals say that the town doesn’t normally suffer major flooding issues and fear that the Hill Group’s 350-house scheme being built on a floodplain is the cause.
READ MORE: Storm Babet forces families out of homes
Nick Harding, 77, said the floodwater that swept into his Norwich Road home was "like a tsunami".
"We've lived here for 14 years and never had anything like this happen. In the winter it was a floodplain but now it is all concreted over and the water can't go anywhere," he added.
An initial planning application for 350 homes submitted in 2015 was turned down by Breckland Council due to fears it would pose a flood risk to the area.
The refusal stated: “The site is located in an area of poor drainage, within a flood zone and close to several watercourses.
“The proposal has failed to demonstrate the realignment of the flood zones… would not result in flooding to people, property or places, both on and off-site.”
READ MORE: Attleborough pensioner's bungalow submerged in flood water
But, following an appeal, the government’s Planning Inspectorate overturned the decision in 2016 providing conditions were met. These included creating flood drainage systems that would not increase the risk of flooding off-site.
Planning permission was granted in 2018 and the land was subsequently sold to the Hill Group - which began constructing the Gables scheme in the summer of 2022.
A company spokeswoman said the Gables benefits from a "new sustainable drainage system that mitigates the risk of any future flooding" which was approved by all relevant bodies and that it is not being built on a floodplain.
‘Someone needs to take responsibility’
People living in Attleborough are demanding answers about why a housing project was allowed on a floodplain.
Lizzy King, whose home in Ferguson Way was badly damaged during Storm Babet, said: "We only moved here three months ago. It came up knee-deep on the ground floor, everything is ruined.
“Someone needs to take responsibility.
“It has affected everyone’s lives, we can’t live in our house, it's completely inhabitable.
“It is common sense. It used to be farmland that would fill up with water and soak away. Now it is concreted, where is the water going?”
Lucy Hulme, 26 and her partner Luke Fowler live a few doors down with their three-year-old son.
She added: "My son just thinks his house is broken and he needs to wait for it to get fixed, it's devastating.
"There is a lot of speculation about the impact of the development."
‘Locals are really worried’
The majority of the homes affected were upstream from the site, although the building site was also hit by flooding.
Attleborough Town councillor Dominic De Souza said members have been very concerned about the development.
He said: "Locals are really worried and this has the potential to be a regular occurrence.
"We opposed it from the start as it had always been a floodplain and we feared building on it would cause problems.
"The push to build new homes should not be at the detriment of the community already living there."
The development located downstream is being built on land lying lower than the neighbourhood south of Norwich Road and people think the construction work may have resulted in this being elevated.
The damage from the flood is clear to see with skips dotted around the neighbourhood piled high with destroyed items of furniture, ripped-up carpets and waterlogged white goods.
Lynn and Hans Shortt's home in Mill Lane, where they have lived for 40 years, was one of the first to be affected and they now face the prospect of six months in temporary accommodation.
Mrs Shortt, 62, said: "It should never have been given planning permission. It didn’t cause the flood but it certainly made it worse. Why would they build on a floodplain? It is there for a reason."
Andrew, 58, who lives on Mill Lane added: “We have been here for 17 years and this is the worst flooding we have had – and that development wasn’t there before.
Will flooding get worse?
The fears of locals echo a couple's concerns in Wymondham.
The community in Spinks Lane have said a new housing development has affected drainage and since 2020 their homes have suffered from flooding incidents.
Francesca and Andy Broom, who live near the development, say the infilling of a water meadow and blocking of a drain has caused repeated problems with flooding and called for better drainage measures to be put in place last year.
In 2019, it was reported that nearly 20,000 homes were proposed to be built on land considered a high-risk flood zone across Norfolk.
But a new bill backed by the House of Lords could put an end to this after members backed a ban on new homes being built in areas at high risk of flooding.
The multi-agency Norfolk Strategic Flood Alliance is due to meet with members and the community this week to begin the first steps towards an investigation into the floods.
Both Breckland Council and Norfolk County Council have not ruled out that the impact of the development will be investigated.
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