St Andrews: Concerns over flood risk ahead of major housing development
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Liberal Democrat councillor Jane Ann Liston is concerned about what she describes as “intensifying” problems with flooding near the entrance to Younger Gardens and fears the situation will only get worse once construction begins on the adjacent Craigtoun North development.
More than 300 homes are to be built in that portion of the proposed housing site, and forms part of the wider St Andrews West expansion plan.
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Hide AdMs Liston revealed she had been told by residents in the Younger Gardens area how the road had been flooded across both carriageways and the footway three times in the space of just four days recently.
Residents of the 80 houses in the street were faced with having to squelch through several inches of water to reach their homes as the flood was too deep to safely use a car.
Ms Liston noted: ‘Apparently this section of Melville Road has flooded since the houses at Younger Gardens were built around 20 years ago.
“It appears that the water is running off the Craigtoun North field when the ground becomes saturated.
“However, I am told that it has got worse in recent years.
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Hide Ad“Not only is it wrong that 80 households cannot access their homes without trudging through about six inches of water, but there is a real concern that the construction of 300 houses in that field will exacerbate the situation, with a large area of it becoming impermeable resulting in the water running off even faster.
“I have asked the planning service what mitigations are proposed for the development and also whether these take into account the current flooding patterns.
“It may be that the approved drainage systems will have to be enhanced.”
Ms Liston said she is waiting on a response from Fife Council’s planning department on the issues raised, but the local authority stated when approving the application for homes at Craigtoun North that there would be no “significant cumulative impacts” from the development.