Independent engineering study recommends Newark and Sherwood District Council carry out flood mitigation works on Tolney Lane

An independent engineering study recommends a scheme be developed to improve flood resilience and protect the highest risk parts of Tolney Lane.

Commissioned by Newark and Sherwood District Council, it confirms there is a significant flood risk issue to the residents of Tolney Lane, including a number of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller sites.

Delivering the Tolney Lane Flood Alleviation scheme is an important element to the district council’s proposed overall strategy for delivering additional pitches for the Gypsy, Roma and Traveller community.

There is currently only one road in or out and in times of flood residents have been evacuated to higher ground at the nearby council-owned lorry park.

Further development on Tolney Lane has been either resisted by both the Environment Agency and the district council or restricted to temporary permissions.

Most of the occupied area is at risk of flooding from the River Trent as it is in flood plain, some of it very high risk, and the report notes that the situation will only get worse through climate change.

The first stage of an assessment was to map the river to understand water movements across the flood plain in the vicinity of the site.

Once modelling was complete, three options became possibilities.

The first was the raising of a length of Tolney Lane up to its junction with the Great North Road together with the defence of most of the individual plots at greatest risk of flooding. It was given a preliminary cost estimate £2,850,000.

The second was the provision of an emergency access from the south western end of the to an existing agricultural access onto the A46. This scheme does not provide any defences to the Gypsy and Traveller site and has been preliminary estimated at costing £1,700,000.

The third option is a scheme to improve the defence of almost the entire site, taking account of climate change and provision of the emergency access and has been given a preliminary estimated cost of £3,150,000.

For all three options two basic mitigations were provided - a new flood relief channel, including a new culvert under Tolney Lane, to link to an existing bridge under the railway and, lowering of land in the park area to the south of Tolney Lane.

The first option is described as the most advantageous as it defends a large proportion of areas at greatest risk, and may therefore attract some external funding.

The report authors found it also appeared to have limited adverse impacts on flood risk to adjacent areas.

At present, the district council is working on the development of a more detailed design for the scheme including detailed flood modelling and liaising with the Environment Agency and other partners.

The council has set aside money from developer contributions through the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) to deliver the scheme complete, but is anticipating the Environment Agency and the county council will also help support it.

Once complete, the works will allow the residents of Tolney Lane a safer access in the event of a flood as well as site expansion so that more people can live there, helping to satisfy the requirement for increased numbers of pitches in the future.

Site analysis says the make-up of Tolney Lane varies widely in type from mobile homes to substantial permanent properties, some of which have been built to allow the movement of flood water underneath so as to not damage the property.

A number of homes have been built without planning permission. A number of caravan sites have also been created without consent.

A survey in July 2018 identified 259 caravans, 42 bricked in caravans and 30 dwellings, a total of 331 accommodation units.