Fellview Wall

Fellview Wall

The construction of a very prominent wall across the frontage of Fellview and Caldew Cottage has been completed in 2018.

Main Photo:

June 2018

Before

The wall will probably provide a credible resilience for Fellview, against thunder storm sourced surface road water from Salter lonning, which will be a welcome relief to the age old phenomenon.

BUT ironically, IF the drains, gulleys and gutter terminal grid on the upper side of Salter Lonning had been promptly maintained by residents, (which was a routine by some previous residents for many years) following a forecast of heavy rain,
and paramountly, the water courses "kept as original by land owners", (see road drains page) there would have been absolutely no need for the very prominent wall and it's associated :-
(a) quite unnecessary huge private financial outlay,
(b) quite unnecessary visual obtrusiveness across the frontage of both properties,
("as the road floodwater would have been underground in the purpose built drains infrastructure, not on surface").
(c) and sadly the wall's obtrusiveness realistically throws out the undeniable negative demeaning bold statement: "MILLHOUSE is a Flood zone", to all that see it, including any prospective buyer of any of the properties currently on the market, which will become realistically evident to any home owner in MILLHOUSE when they potentially do need to sell or obtain a professional valuation for their property.
Realistically, a permanent negative stigma of this nature is not easy to detach from a community postcode, therefore is certain to have an inevitable detrimental knock-on effect on value and demand for other properties.

Sadly the project, (termed as finished) due to the earth's natural laws of gravity, just will NOT work for the "river water". An academic degree or surveyors qualifications are NOT necessary, to quickly assess and realize that the project still seriously lacks crucial resilience qualities for Fellview & Caldew Cottage. The project bears a crucial omission to prevent a flooding recurrence from a degree of "stacked river water" similar to the levels experienced from the stacked river during the whole three events of Jan 2005, June 2012,

especially Dec. 2015 during the crescendo of storm Desmond,

(a) when the MILLHOUSE was lagooned to the height of the bridge arch keystone,

(b) the top of the recently built (2003) garden wall structure on the western side of the river,

the front door step of SUNLEA.

(d) the levels experienced in victims homes, (apparently a depth of 83cm (32.5inch) in Fellview).

We would welcome anyone who has a laser level or theodolite, to check out these levels for themselves.

The cross referenced levels listed above, do tie-in with each other, and are more than 2ft higher than the top of the village flood defence bank.

(The photo above, and the many photos on the survey page clarify the fact)

(a) During periods of extreme rainfall, the inflamed river is routinely/logically just the same depth/height on the outlet side of the bridge as the inlet side of the bridge, (and as there is not even the protection of a defence bank on the outlet side) the inflamed river levels are routinely/logically equally high enough to engulf the lower part of the field behind Fellview, (sadly equally high/deep enough to engulf the inner side the recently built Fellview wall + both properties).

(b) Sadly, these cross referenced levels are high enough to rise up the currently unprotected back lower garden, (gas tank) side, (as shown below)of the newly constructed Fellview wall.

(c) For some strange reason, some individuals previously chose to believe a bogus, totally fabricated unfounded illogical version of: "another flood water source",

i.e. "other side of village", (as stated in the "Rationale" of the planning application for the Fellview wall) which presumably relates to the small trickle down the road from the Gillcambon.

http://eforms.eden.gov.uk/fastweb_upload/2017%20Planning%20Applications/17-0141/17-0141-DAS.pdf

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If only the crescendo of storm Desmond had occurred during the hours of daylight instead of the dark, then everyone would have witnessed for themselves the huge over topping of the Caldew defence bank, as it actually happened.

However, some villagers were obsessed with the bogus illogical theory that the minute trickle down the road from the Gillcambon Beck actually lagooned the whole village.

(In reality the village was lagooned within the very short time of 10-15 minutes from the huge over topping of the Caldew defence bank).

To some individuals, the trickle from Gilcambon was probably the only sizable torrent of water they actually saw that dark December evening, who were quite oblivious to the enormity of the huge overtopping of the Caldew defence bank which was occuring during the very same moments, in the dark.

MILLHOUSE was lagooned within the very short time of 15 minutes or less, from stacking from the overwhelmed bridge and the resultant huge overtopping of the Caldew defence bank.

(The Lagooned village benchmark level being: the front doorstep of Sunlea).

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This serious flaw in the project will ultimately and very positively effect both Fellview & Caldew Cottage during extreme stacked river levels similar to the crescendo of storm Desmond. These stacked river levels are now being experienced routinely every 3 to 4 years, due to the recent unregulated man made changes on the west bank adjacent the bridge.

For the future positive welfare of Fellview & Caldew Cottage, and for the current project to be a worthwhile deserved success, it is crucial that the surveyer/architect promptly amends this potentially catastrophic shortfall/blunder, in order to be integrated into this wall construction project, which apparently is now termed as finished.

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SUMMARY, and friendly advice from longterm local experience.

According to the plans and the statement in the Rationale (Block plan 2, design & access) the lower garden, (gas tank) side of the property perimeter will remain completely wide open and unprotected from the simple laws of gravity.

http://eforms.eden.gov.uk/fastweb_upload/2017%20Planning%20Applications/17-0141/17-0141-Block-Plan-2.pdf

"The No. 1 Golden Eternal rule created by earth's natural gravitational force" :-
Water does "always" find its own level, from all directions, without exception.

The simple realistic facts :- flood water from an extreme stacked river level similar to Storm Desmond, will simply raise up through the still wide open garden side of Fellview, via the LPG tank area, to engulf the rear side of the newly constructed wall and both properties.

(a) Also, there's a potential of negative backflow up the newley installed drain.

(b) And sadly, the adjoining "Sun Lea" pointed dry stone, (rubble centered) garden wall is porous, and will remain porous, incapable of forming any form of resilience against a similar degree of lagooned water as experienced in the village during the crescendo of storm Desmond.

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This valuable friendly advice was first published on the former Millhouse website mid March.

To date, (Sept 2018) the crucial advice appears to have been completely ignored.

You can view the plans, and application details by clicking this link: http://eforms.eden.gov.uk/fastweb/detail.asp?AltRef=17/0141&Scroll=2&submit1=View+current+applications

None of the residents/victims in the village would cherish the thought of their home being overwhelmed by water from the river yet again, but sadly, one thing is for sure:

Due to the fact of the low capacity bridge, still deprived of it's natural overflow path, a flood event is certain to reoccur, potentially this year or next.

Sadly, there will then be many victims in MILLHOUSE who will be left with "deep" regrets that they did not recognize the 60 years of local practical experience,

(dozens of potential flooding events) and friendly fact-based common sense advice provided on this website, when they had the chance.

Sadly, MILLHOUSE could have been well down the road to being totally resilient to flooding at this point in time. Quite realistically, it is still miles away.

Because of the route via the gas tank area, the extreme level flood water from the river will have a direct line access to the 2 properties via the rear of the newly constructed Fellview wall.

The closed flood gates will then keep it there until the extreme level of river water recedes.

The sooner the original overflow/by-pass for the river Caldew bridge is reinstated, the sooner the properties in MILLHOUSE will actually become desirable and marketable, (as they used to be).

Sadly, another flooding event and more hardship may have to be experienced before the-powers-that-be individuals are completely convinced about the very realistic proven facts laid out on the pages of this website.

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For the sake of the inhabitant's future welfare and the crucial sustainability of property value/demand, this website has gone to great lengths to demonstrate in detail how the village of MILLHOUSE has been inadvertently reintroduced to regular flooding from the river Caldew, undoubtedly caused by rapid multiplying stacking behind the low capacity bridge, inflamed by inadvertent significant man made changes on the west bank in 2003.

This website uniquely demonstrates via an intricate photo Survey, the recently reintroduced flooding phenomenon to MILLHOUSE :

https://www.millhouse-hesketnewmarket.com/Desmond/Survey

The quite unique photo survey was carried out soon after the storm Desmond flooding event, with the full intentions of it being a vital aid to provide realistic information to the Environment Agency, to enable a necessary fast-trac remedial plan to be promptly put in to action.

To date, NO such (credible) plan has been instigated.

The reintroduced flooding routine is completely reversible, with a very logical common sense credible rectification to the inadvertent man made changes.

The reintroduced flooding routine commenced in 2005, after a break of more than 40 years. MILLHOUSE enjoyed a blissful Holiday from river orientated flooding, onwards from the completion of the long awaited construction of the village flood defense bank in the 1960's. It was during this period of 40 years when most of the recent flood victim residents of MILLHOUSE bought their homes at a then sustainable market value. The January 2005 flood event was a rude awakening, when unprecedented stacking was experienced behind the 110 year old single arch low capacity bridge, (Funnel/Dam).

3 more repetition flooding events have since occurred, undoubtably due to the incapability of the low capacity bridge, now deprived of its overflow bypass by the 2003 man made changes:

November 2009,

June 2012,

and storm Desmond December 2015.

Until the recommended logical credible remedy is carried out to rectify the low capacity bridge, (now deprived of it's original overflow path) the vulnerable properties of MILLHOUSE have an unsustainable flood resilience.

The realistic facts are that the vulnerable properties of MILLHOUSE will be flooded once again during the crescendo of the next extreme storm if no logical action is taken to rectify the serious problem of the low capacity bridge.

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We do welcome you to offer your views about the 4 reintroduced flooding events within the space of a decade which MILLHOUSE has endured since 2005.

(a) Is this phenomenon of 4 repetitive flooding events, and the 2003 blockage of the bridge overflow path just coincidence?

(b) Can global warming be to blame for the 4 flooding events?

(d) Is the capacity of the MILLHOUSE single arch bridge realistically

large enough for the river Caldew in full spate during an extreme storm?

(e) Has the repetitive flooding phenomenon increased or decreased the value and demand of properties in MILLHOUSE and the associated community post code?

(f) Are you willing to offer support towards a united front to push for a logical common sense remedy to get the repetitive flooding phenomenon rectified permanently?

(g) Are you willing to just sit back & take your chances that it may not happen again?

(h) Would you like the property values/demand in MILLHOUSE to become more sustainable?