Issue - meetings

To consider a report of the Corporate Director for Place Management & Regeneration.

On the last week of July and first week of August 2019, extreme rainfall events hit parts of north-west England and the south Pennines, with flooding observed across Greater Manchester and Cheshire. The main event day was 31st July 2019.

This report presents the various aspects of the flood events in July and specifically incorporates the draft Independent Section 19 Investigation Report in accordance with the Flood & Water Management Act (FWMA) 2010 on the investigation into the flooding events undertaken independently by Mott MacDonald Consulting Engineers.

(NOTE: The report had previously been submitted to the 29 September 2020 meeting of the area committee, however this has subsequeently been revised to include additional appendices that wer enot available at the point of original publication).

The Area Committee is recommended to comment on and note the report.

fficer contact: Mark Glynn on 0161-474-3700 or email: mark.glynn@stockport.gov.uk or Sue Stevenson on 0161 474 4351 or email: sue.stevenson@stockport.gov.uk

A representative of the Corporate Director (Place) and Deputy Chief Executive submitted a report (copies of which had been circulated) presenting the various aspects of the flood events that occurred on the last week of July and first week of August 2019 and specifically incorporated the draft Independent Section 19 Investigation Report in accordance with the Flood & Water Management Act (FWMA) 2010 on the investigation into the flooding events that had been undertaken independently by Mott MacDonald Consulting Engineers.

It was noted that the draft report was previously considered at the last meeting of the Area Committee, however this has subsequently been updated to provide additional information in its appendices that were not available to members at that meeting.

The following comments were made/ issues raised:-

·         Members sought clarity on measures that had been taken in response to the flooding across the borough. In response, some of the responses were outlined, such as a replacement pumping station on the A555, focusing on clearing gullies in flooding hotspot areas and improving communication around driving during flood events.

·         It was suggested that the use of language such as ‘quick-fix’ and ‘quick-wins’ might not be helpful in the light of a number of the actions identified being carried over from the 2016 flood report.

·         Members questioned the rationale for the report’s identification of flooding ‘hotspot’ sites, and why some areas were excluded from them. It was noted that this was the consultant’s choice but did not reflect the Council’s intention to address every area that experienced flooding.

·         Members sought clarity on the timescales for further investigation and actions identified in the report to protect residents. It was noted that members would be updated with any timeframes when they were available so that residents could be made aware.

·         Concern was expressed in relation to flood damage to Moorfield School and how this risk could be mitigated in future. It was noted that these concerns would be raised with the appropriate officers to be looked into.

RESOLVED – That the report be noted.

To consider a report of the Corporate Director for Place Management & Regeneration.

On the last week of July and first week of August 2019, extreme rainfall events hit parts of north-west England and the south Pennines, with flooding observed across Greater Manchester and Cheshire. The main event day was 31st July 2019.

This report presents the various aspects of the flood events in July and specifically incorporates the draft Independent Section 19 Investigation Report in accordance with the Flood & Water Management Act (FWMA) 2010 on the investigation into the flooding events undertaken independently by Mott MacDonald Consulting Engineers.

The Area Committee is recommended to comment on and note the report.

Officer contact: Mark Glynn on 0161-474-3700 or email: mark.glynn@stockport.gov.uk  or Sue Stevenson on 0161 474 4351 or email: sue.stevenson@stockport.gov.uk   

A representative of the Corporate Director (Place) and Deputy Chief Executive submitted a report (copies of which had been circulated) presenting the various aspects of the flood events that occurred on the last week of July and first week of August 2019 and specifically incorporated the draft Independent Section 19 Investigation Report in accordance with the Flood & Water Management Act (FWMA) 2010 on the investigation into the flooding events that had been undertaken independently by Mott MacDonald Consulting Engineers.

It was noted that the draft report was previously considered at the last meeting of the Area Committee, however this has subsequently been updated to provide additional information in its appendices that were not available to members at that meeting.

The following comments were made/ issues raised:-

·         It was commented that the report appeared to provide contradictory information with regard to the causes of specific flooding incidents.

·         Concern was expressed in relation to overflowing sewers on Glenside Drive, Woodley and that this may constitute a potential health hazard.

·         It was queried at what point United utilities would make their comments on the report.

·         The recommendation in relation the development of an accurate understanding of the watercourses that flowed through and under the Romiley area via culverts was welcomed.

·         It was suggested that the report in part misrepresented the timeline of flooding incidents in Romiley perhaps due a misunderstanding on the part of residents over the way in which intelligence on these matters was reported back to the Council.

·         It was stated that some of the drainage issues, such as those on Sandy lane, Romiley had arisen because of a combination of gullies that were completely blocked, and others which were temporarily blocked by way of leaves and other detritus carried by running water.

·         It was stated that it would be helpful for the Bredbury Green & Romiley ward councillors to receive a briefing early in the New Year on the issues affecting their area.

·         It was commented that the ongoing flooding issues on the University Estate and the hydrological survey commissioned by the Council into this issue wasn’t referred to within the report.

RESOLVED – That the report be noted.

To consider a report of the Corporate Director for Place Management & Regeneration.

On the last week of July and first week of August 2019, extreme rainfall events hit parts of north-west England and the south Pennines, with flooding observed across Greater Manchester and Cheshire. The main event day was 31st July 2019.

This report presents the various aspects of the flood events in July and specifically incorporates the draft Independent Section 19 Investigation Report in accordance with the Flood & Water Management Act (FWMA) 2010 on the investigation into the flooding events undertaken independently by Mott MacDonald Consulting Engineers.

The Area Committee is recommended to comment on and note the report.

fficer contact: Mark Glynn on 0161-474-3700 or email: mark.glynn@stockport.gov.uk or Sue Stevenson on 0161 474 4351 or email: sue.stevenson@stockport.gov.uk

A representative of the Corporate Director for Place Management & Regeneration submitted a report (copies of which had been circulated) presenting the various aspects of the flood events that occurred on the last week of July and first week of August 2019 and specifically incorporated the draft Independent Section 19 Investigation Report in accordance with the Flood & Water Management Act (FWMA) 2010 on the investigation into the flooding events that had been undertaken independently by Mott MacDonald Consulting Engineers.

The following comments were made/ issues raised:-

·         It was commented that the report identified that the A555 attenuation tanks had been badly designed and it was queried where the responsibility for the design of the tanks lay.  In response it was stated that the tanks on the legacy part of the road had been installed as part of the original build approximately 20 years ago for which Cheshire County Council had been the lead authority.  However, it was clarified that the failure of the attenuation ponds due to design and construction defects had been a more significant factor.

·         There were issues in the construction and design of the A555 that had rectified by the contractor.

·         Concern was expressed in relation to the time that had been taken to replace the failed pumps and controls at the original A555 pumping station at Hall Moss Lane bridge.  In response it was stated that the replacement pumps had been ordered after the flooding event in March 2019 that had exposed the failure of the existing pumps, however due to their nature they were designed and built to order.  The replacement pumps had been scheduled to be installed the week after the July flooding event.

·         The flood warning system had proved ineffective for much of the Stockport area.  It was stated that the warming system was based on water levels in the River Mersey, however the sudden and intense nature of the rainfall was such that the Ladybrook filled quicker and reacted quicker to this, and discussions would take place with the Environment Agency in relation to the appropriateness of the continued use of water levels in the River Mersey as the trigger for warnings across the borough.

·         There was evidence that when residents complained about incidents of flooding, they had been passed around various agencies and it was suggested that there needed to be a more coordinated approach to this.

·         It was queried how the council was going to review its response to road closures during flood events which had been highlighted as an action from a June 2016 report.  In response it was stated that due to the wide area that was covered, it was difficult to manage this across the borough within the resource constraints of the council.  It was stated that a trial was taking place in the Heatons area with regard to the automation of this process.

·         Complex land ownership and riparian responsibilities meant that it was not always possible or practical to check blockages and maintain structures.

·         It was clarified that the alarms relating to the non-functioning pumps on the A555 were still being sent to Cheshire East Council rather than to Stockport, and on investigation after the March incident, it was found that two of the pumps were non-functioning and the other two had failed after which a temporary pump was installed between March and July while replacements were installed.  It was stated that Stockport Council had subsequently taken back control of the pumping station.

·         The report identified that the circuit breakers at the new pumping station were being triggered, and it was not yet clear what was causing the overload.  An alarm system was being installed so that this could be identified early and officers could respond to future such incidents.

·         The report currently didn’t include any timescales attached to the recommendations.  However, when the report was submitted to scrutiny committees and Cabinet later in the year, it  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7

To consider a report of the Corporate Director for Place Management & Regeneration.

On the last week of July and first week of August 2019, extreme rainfall events hit parts of north-west England and the south Pennines, with flooding observed across Greater Manchester and Cheshire. The main event day was 31st July 2019.

This report presents the various aspects of the flood events in July and specifically incorporates the draft Independent Section 19 Investigation Report in accordance with the Flood & Water Management Act (FWMA) 2010 on the investigation into the flooding events undertaken independently by Mott MacDonald Consulting Engineers.

The Area Committee is recommended to comment on and note the report.

Officer Contact: Mark Glynn on 0161-474-3700 or email: mark.glynn@stockport.gov.uk or Sue Stevenson on 0161 474 4351 or email: sue.stevenson@stockport.gov.uk

A representative of the Corporate Director for Place Management and Regeneration submitted a report (copies of which had been circulated) presenting the various aspects of the flood events in July 2019 and specifically incorporating the draft Section 19 Investigation Report in accordance with the Flood & Water Management Act 2010 on the investigation into the flooding events undertaken independently by Mott MacDonald Consulting Engineers.

The following comments were made/issues raised:-

·         It was doubtful whether there would be enough funding for all of the recommendations to be carried out, many of which were the responsibility of United Utilities or the Environment Agency.

·         Officers were thanked for keeping residents informed and up to date with developments at the time of the flooding.

RESOLVED – That the report be noted.

To consider a report of the Corporate Director for Place Management & Regeneration.

On the last week of July and first week of August 2019, extreme rainfall events hit parts of north-west England and the south Pennines, with flooding observed across Greater Manchester and Cheshire. The main event day was 31st July 2019.

This report presents the various aspects of the flood events in July and specifically incorporates the draft Independent Section 19 Investigation Report in accordance with the Flood & Water Management Act (FWMA) 2010 on the investigation into the flooding events undertaken independently by Mott MacDonald Consulting Engineers.

The Area Committee is recommended to comment on and note the report.

fficer contact: Mark Glynn on 0161-474-3700 or email: mark.glynn@stockport.gov.uk or Sue Stevenson on 0161 474 4351 or email: sue.stevenson@stockport.gov.uk

A representative of the Corporate Director for Place Management and Regeneration submitted a report (copies of which had been circulated) presenting the various aspects of the flood events in July 2019 and specifically incorporating the draft Section 19 Investigation Report in accordance with the Flood & Water Management Act 2010 on the investigation into the flooding events undertaken independently by Mott MacDonald Consulting Engineers.

The following comments were made/issues raised:-

·         As a Section 19 flooding investigation report, the report had a narrow remit which didn’t cover all the flooding activity it needed to cover. For example, there were roads off the A6 between the railway line and south of Heaton Moor Road which became flooded as water ran off the A6. The Crossley Road underpass was another area which became flooded. Discussions regarding more intensive maintenance regimes would be helpful.

·         In most cases the drains became blocked as a result of the flooding. However, the gulley cleansing regime had been refined as a result of the flooding in 2019.

·         Black Brook was identified as one of the water courses which had caused problems in the Heatons and Reddish area.

·         The A555 was always going to be susceptible to flooding.

·         The Council did have monies for replacement measures, but a lot of the recommendations were aimed at United Utilities and the Environment Agency.

RESOLVED – That the report be noted.

To consider a report of the Corporate Director for Place Management & Regeneration.

On the last week of July and first week of August 2019, extreme rainfall events hit parts of north-west England and the south Pennines, with flooding observed across Greater Manchester and Cheshire. The main event day was 31st July 2019.

This report presents the various aspects of the flood events in July and specifically incorporates the draft Independent Section 19 Investigation Report in accordance with the Flood & Water Management Act (FWMA) 2010 on the investigation into the flooding events undertaken independently by Mott MacDonald Consulting Engineers.

The Area Committee is recommended to comment on and note the report.

Officer contact: Mark Glynn on 0161-474-3700 or email: mark.glynn@stockport.gov.uk or Sue Stevenson on 0161 474 4351 or email: sue.stevenson@stockport.gov.uk

A representative of the Corporate Director for Place Management & Regeneration submitted a report (copies of which had been circulated) presenting the various aspects of the flood events that occurred on the last week of July and first week of August 2019 and specifically incorporated the draft Independent Section 19 Investigation Report in accordance with the Flood & Water Management Act (FWMA) 2010 on the investigation into the flooding events that had been undertaken independently by Mott MacDonald Consulting Engineers.

The following comments were made/ issues raised:-

·         Clarification was sought regarding what happens next and whether there was a strategic response to the report that addresses the recommendations. In response, it was noted that a lot of work has been undertaken by the Council over the last year in response and there was a programme and an approach in place but it was expensive to do without the resources and budget.

·         Concern was also expressed regarding some aspects of the report that had already appeared in the 2016 report so had not yet been addressed. In response, it was noted that the problems were being addressed and data has been collated to respond to previous reports and this report would be finalised by December 2020 with more details included with a response.

·         It was noted that no flood alerts were received by the Environmental Agency despite the Goyt in Stockport. In response, it was noted that the trigger was the Mersey and because of the pattern of the rivers it was too late to issue any warnings, but discussions were being held about it with the Environmental Agency.

·         It was suggested that the report needed to be made accessible to all with less legal jargons and references.

·         It was also noted that there was also flooding in High Lane including Andrew Lane that flooded houses on the opposite side of the road including Linton Drive.

·         Clarification was sought regarding the number of gully wagons were operational in Stockport. In response, it was noted that there were two gully wagons but it would not have caused any flooding due to the intensity of the rain.

Members were encouraged to submit any additional concerns or omissions from the report directly to the Head of Highways and Transportation for consideration and to be included in the final report.

RESOLVED – That the report be noted.

To consider a report of the Corporate Director for Place Management & Regeneration.

On the last week of July and first week of August 2019, extreme rainfall events hit parts of north-west England and the south Pennines, with flooding observed across Greater Manchester and Cheshire. The main event day was 31st July 2019.

This report presents the various aspects of the flood events in July and specifically incorporates the draft Independent Section 19 Investigation Report in accordance with the Flood & Water Management Act (FWMA) 2010 on the investigation into the flooding events undertaken independently by Mott MacDonald Consulting Engineers.

The Scrutiny Committee is recommended to comment on and note the report.

fficer contact: Mark Glynn on 0161-474-3700 or email: mark.glynn@stockport.gov.uk or Sue Stevenson on 0161 474 4351 or email: sue.stevenson@stockport.gov.uk

A representative of the Corporate Director for Place Management and Regeneration submitted a report (copies of which had been circulated) presenting the various aspects of the flood events in July 2019 and specifically incorporating the draft Section 19 Investigation Report in accordance with the Flood & Water Management Act 2010 on the investigation into the flooding events undertaken independently by Mott MacDonald Consulting Engineers.

The following comments were made/issues raised:-

·         It was confirmed that the updated version of the draft investigation report would be on the Council’s website the day after this meeting.

·         Concern was expressed that the part of the A555 which had an exit at Handforth/Heald Green, near to the Lakeland store, appeared to have been omitted from the report. Although this section of the A555 was in the area of Cheshire East, a lot of the residents affected by the flooding lived in Heald Green.

·         In response to a Member’s question, it was clarified that that residents who had had the inside of their homes flooded should be entitled to Council tax relief.

·         A Member enquired what recourse the Council had if the Environment Agency had not carried out recommendations from a previous flooding investigation report in 2016.

·         It was unlikely that the A555 had contributed to the severity of the flooding in residential properties.

·         There were many flooded areas recorded as surface water flooding and this could be attributed to a combination of the capacity of the drainage systems and the drainage flows to the nearby rivers.

·         As some of the flooding in Stockport was caused by Lyme Park and villages higher in the Mersey Catchment in Cheshire flooding, a Member enquired whether the Council was liaising with Cheshire East Council to discuss ways the problems could be alleviated in the future.

·         Members should have been offered the opportunity to attend the pre-consultation on the draft investigation report.

·         At the time of the flooding more residents were concerned about issues such as insurance rather than the technical issues which had caused the flooding.

·         The Council needed to review its flood plans as flooding was now more prevalent than at the time the plans were prepared.

RESOLVED – That the report be noted.

To consider a report of the Corporate Director for Place Management & Regeneration.

On the last week of July and first week of August 2019, extreme rainfall events hit parts of north-west England and the south Pennines, with flooding observed across Greater Manchester and Cheshire. The main event day was 31st July 2019.

This report presents the various aspects of the flood events in July and specifically incorporates the draft Independent Section 19 Investigation Report in accordance with the Flood & Water Management Act (FWMA) 2010 on the investigation into the flooding events undertaken independently by Mott MacDonald Consulting Engineers.

The Scrutiny Committee is recommended to comment on and note the report.

fficer contact: Mark Glynn on 0161-474-3700 or email: mark.glynn@stockport.gov.uk or Sue Stevenson on 0161 474 4351 or email: sue.stevenson@stockport.gov.uk

A representative of the Corporate Director for Place Management & Regeneration submitted a report (copies of which had been circulated) presenting the various aspects of the flood events that occurred on the last week of July and first week of August 2019 and specifically incorporated the draft Independent Section 19 Investigation Report in accordance with the Flood & Water Management Act (FWMA) 2010 on the investigation into the flooding events that had been undertaken independently by Mott MacDonald Consulting Engineers.

The following comments were made/ issues raised:-

·         A number of the appendices to the report were only made available to Members shortly in advance of the commencement of the meeting and so it was commented that the report should be brought back to the next meeting for further analysis once there had been sufficient opportunity to consider this material.

·         Members raised concerns that some of the recommendations following previous flooding in 2016 had not yet been addressed. It was commented that the Council was working with local residents to provide solutions such as involving residents in putting out signage when there were road closures. It was noted that there remained ongoing issues with regard to those repairs undertaken following successful insurance insofar as the damage was rectified, but insurers would not pay for flood mitigation measures to prevent a recurrence in the future.

·         Concern was expressed that the report was inconclusive and that some roads were missing that had been affected by the flooding. It was commented that the independent consultant had only focused on particular hotspots but that the Council were aware of further areas that had been affected and were consulting with local residents to address problems.

·         Members asked that the report be updated to include measures that had been taken since the flooding such as the installation of a new pump system on the A555 so that residents would be aware of this. It was commented that there would be a separate report at a later date covering what had changed since the flooding.

·         Clarification was sought about what measures were being taken in regard to bodies of water, such as Toddbrook Reservoir, that were outside the local area but still posed a flood risk. It was commented that the failure of the dam wall at the reservoir had resulted in a separate investigation and subsequent recommendations and that the Council was involved in the creation of an emergency flood plan for any potentially affected areas. It was noted that central Government had also developed specific flood action plans for these kinds of bodies of water.

RESOLVED – That the report be noted.

To consider a report of the Corporate Director for Place Management & Regeneration.

On the last week of July and first week of August 2019, extreme rainfall events hit parts of north-west England and the south Pennines, with flooding observed across Greater Manchester and Cheshire. The main event day was 31st July 2019.

This report presents the various aspects of the flood events in July and specifically incorporates the draft Independent Section 19 Investigation Report in accordance with the Flood & Water Management Act (FWMA) 2010 on the investigation into the flooding events undertaken independently by Mott MacDonald Consulting Engineers.

The Area Committee is recommended to comment on and note the report.

fficer contact: Mark Glynn on 0161-474-3700 or email: mark.glynn@stockport.gov.uk or Sue Stevenson on 0161 474 4351 or email: sue.stevenson@stockport.gov.uk

A representative of the Corporate Director for Place Management & Regeneration submitted a report (copies of which had been circulated) presenting the various aspects of the flood events that occurred on the last week of July and first week of August 2019 and specifically incorporated the draft Independent Section 19 Investigation Report in accordance with the Flood & Water Management Act (FWMA) 2010 on the investigation into the flooding events that had been undertaken independently by Mott MacDonald Consulting Engineers.

The following comments were made/ issues raised:-

·         It was suggested that once the Appendices were completed that it should be submitted to the Area Committee for consideration.

·         It was noted that work was already underway in Layfield Avenue to alter the ‘curb’, but it was suggested that the local residents be engaged and informed of the process involved to avoid any complaints relating to the work being undertaken.

·         Members welcomed the report and the references to the blocked gullies in Romiley as a reasons for some of the flooding as it would mean that there would now be scheduled cleaning to avoid any future flooding.

·         It was noted that there was a reference on page 72 of the report to the ‘cistern draining’ into the Etherow. It was suggested that this be amended to correctly read “cisterns draining into the Goyt”.

·         It was suggested that there was no mention of the University Estate in the report despite the problems with flooding in the area. In response, it was noted that there were different problems associated with the site and the issues raised were already being discussed with the estate and that if there are no references in the Appendices to the site, then this would be noted.

·         There also needed to be included in the report the issues with Werneth Low due to the increased rainfall and the flooding on Werneth Road.

RESOLVED – (1) That the report be noted.

(2) That the Appendices once completed would be submitted to the Area Committee for consideration.

To consider a report of the Corporate Director for Place Management & Regeneration.

On the last week of July and first week of August 2019, extreme rainfall events hit parts of north-west England and the south Pennines, with flooding observed across Greater Manchester and Cheshire. The main event day was 31st July 2019.

This report presents the various aspects of the flood events in July and specifically incorporates the draft Independent Section 19 Investigation Report in accordance with the Flood & Water Management Act (FWMA) 2010 on the investigation into the flooding events undertaken independently by Mott MacDonald Consulting Engineers.

The Scrutiny Committee is recommended to comment on and note the report.

fficer contact: Mark Glynn on 0161-474-3700 or email: mark.glynn@stockport.gov.uk or Sue Stevenson on 0161 474 4351 or email: sue.stevenson@stockport.gov.uk

The Corporate Director for Place Management & Regeneration submitted a report (copies of which had been circulated) presenting the various aspects of the flood events that occurred on the last week of July and first week of August 2019 and specifically incorporated the draft Independent Section 19 Investigation Report in accordance with the Flood & Water Management Act (FWMA) 2010 on the investigation into the flooding events that had been undertaken independently by Mott MacDonald Consulting Engineers.

The Cabinet Member for Sustainable Stockport (Councillor Sheila Bailey) attended the meeting to respond to questions from the Scrutiny Committee.

The following comments were made/ issues raised:-

·         It was suggested that the use of phraseology such as ‘quick wins’ within the report was potentially unhelpful, particularly as one of the named schemes was at Bean Leech Road which had been flooded three times in the last four years, and if the solution was as easy as suggested then it may rightly be asked why it hadn’t been done sooner.

·         It was commented that the flood alert in Stockport hadn’t been triggered despite widespread flooding and improvements needed to be made to this system.

·         The Environment Agency should be strongly encouraged and requested to undertake the flood mapping recommendation identified in the report..

RESOLVED – That the report be noted.