Steve Barclay MP has launched a petition backing residents’ objections to plans to build 249 new homes on flood land in the Showfields Area of Whittlesey.
The site is near the Nene Washes and would be accessed by the B1040 which was closed for 72 days last winter due to flooding.
The MP is taking action after more than 300 local residents attended a public meeting at the Ivy Leaf Club to voice their concerns over the proposed development for the 18.5 hectare site.
A week after the petition was started, more than 250 people have signed up to the campaign and members of the Residents’ action group have circulated a letter detailing their concerns to more than 2000 households in Bassenhally and Delph Wards.
The key objections raised by the Residents’ action group are the risk of flooding, increased traffic congestion and the impact on wildlife and the local environment.
Mr Barclay said: “I hope that local residents will join me in signing this petition opposing the proposed development. It is important that we send a message to planning officials to make clear that this scheme is not in the best interests of Whittlesey. “We need to build more homes but not on land with long-standing problems with flooding.”
He continued: “I have seen first hand the damage caused by flooding to homes in this area, and there is a real concern this scheme will increase the number of properties affected by flooding.
“Local residents are also right to voice their concerns about traffic levels and the added burden on public services in the area,”
Councillor Dee Laws welcomed Mr Barclay’s intervention: “The Residents Action Group is absolutely thrilled that their local MP is backing them on this campaign.
“The online petition is an invaluable part of our efforts to speak out against these plans on behalf of local people.”
The site has been classified as in flood zone one following a flood risk assessment, which means it is seen as low risk.
However, the Nene Washes were closed for 72 days last winter.
An analysis of flooding data over the past 10 years found flooding was “rare” until 2007.
The B1040 was closed for seven days in 2007, two days in 2008, 14 days in 2009, four in 2010 and there is no record for 2011.
In the Spring of 2012 it was closed for four days before last winter’s exceptional flooding saw it shut for 72 days.
To sign the petition and back the local Resident’s Action group log on to www.stevebarclay.net/petition.
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