We(s)t Hampstead

As we all know, the West Hampstead area has been plagued by water problems over the last few months, with burst mains in West End Lane and nearby Cricklewood causing disruption to traffic and loss of supply to many of our homes. We think it’s time our area got the benefit of the Victorian water mains replacement programme, and we’ve invited representatives from Thames Water to come to our next Area Forum. This will follow on from the last Area Forum when we discussed flooding problems and lots of criticism was levelled at Camden Council for not keeping the gullies clear.

Meanwhile Cllr Nancy Jirira wrote to the Council recently to ask about the programme of gully cleansing. Camden responded to say they do clear the gullies regularly, but went on “however if a gully is covered by a car they leave it alone. This can mean that certain gullies can be left unmaintained for a number of years. For example the maintenance team went to clear the gullies of Cannon Hill in July 2012 but were only able to clear 3 of the 10 gullies. They have now, since the meeting, suspended parking on the street so that they can clean all the gullies."

Nancy also pointed out that the numerous developments in the area could add an intolerable structural strain on the Victorian Thames Water drainage system and that this should be taken into account in planning policy. She added:

" it is not clear what the prolonged recent wet months have contributed to the loss of drainage capacity. Along Fordwych Road cellars have been flooded with water to about 12 inches or more. Similar reports in adjacent roads and in  Kingscroft Road have also been received. I have reported two major water bursts - one outside the new development at 1a Mill Lane and the other in Westbere Road."

Finally, Nancy mentioned that local residents of many years standing had said they had always been aware of the issue of local flooding and asked if there was available a historical map of rivers flowing from the Heath in Hampstead to the Kilburn marshes including the Westbourne.

The Council officer (Nick Humfry) replied: "The effect of new developments on the drainage system is something that we are very aware of. I now look at all major planning applications and if they are within a flood risk area I will provide comments, including information of previous problems and scrutinise their plans to ensure that they are taking opportunities to reduce stress on the Thames Water system.

"This is a new activity which we have only been able to do regularly for the last few months but I feel it can help make sure that developments take better consideration of drainage issues. We will also be feeding in information to the basements policy guidance which is currently out for consultation and the Local Development Framework as it is reassessed.

"However the more information we receive from councillors and the public about incidents, the more effectively can we influence planning policy and decisions. So thank-you for bringing to my attention the concerns of residents who have suffered from flooding.  It would be great if you could encourage residents to get in contact with me so that I can build up the incident log which I use in discussion with planners and highways maintenance.

"I would however stress that burst pipes are the responsibility of Thames Water and residents should report any incidents to them directly.

Here is a reference for the old rivers of Camden:

http://www.camden.gov.uk/ccm/content/environment/air-quality-and-pollution/water/lost-rivers-project.
"The rivers are now incorporated into the sewer system and are not the reason for the very high levels of groundwater.  A lot of this is simply due to the saturation of such a wet year but we are looking into other potential causes such as burst pipes and the cumulative impact of basements."

Our advice - stock up with sandbags and get out your wellies!