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Liberal Democrats on Kent County CouncilThe Official Opposition on Kent County Council |
AFTER ASHFORD EXPANSION......A DELUGE ON CANTERBURY?
November 4, 2005 4:05 PM
Water and Wastewater
At the County Council meeting on Thursday 3rd of November, Martin Vye, Liberal Democrat member for Canterbury, warned that Canterbury could suffer from flooding and a polluted river if the Ashford housing expansion is not handled properly. In a debate on a county report on 'Water and Wastewater in Ashford' Martin said: " I welcome the report as far as it goes. Crucially I am calling for the inclusion of representatives from Canterbury on the Water Management Group which the report recommended. Doubling the number of houses in Ashford will mean thousands more acres covered in concrete where water will not soak away into the soil. If this all comes into the Stour we may see floods in Canterbury, particularly as it is predicted that global warming will bring much heavier storm rainfall".
"There is a danger, too, that with all the waste that will come from the new housing in Ashford, the chemical and biological quality of the Stour will deteriorate and undo all the good work that has been done by the Kent Stour Countryside Project over the years."
Martin concluded: "If KCC is to take the lead on this, I want to see it make sure that Canterbury is included in the management of water and wastewater. I also want it to make sure that the County Council puts its own house in order. Will it ensure that any buildings it owns reaches the maximum possible efficiency in use and disposal of water? Will it ensure that any hard standing it owns (parking spaces for example) are made permeable so that water does not simply run off? And will it persuade schools to teach and practise careful use of water?"