Flooding concerns over King's Lynn riverside homes development

The Gaywood River, with Russett Meadows development site on the right, burst its banks on Friday

Heavy rain and flooding has provoked debate about a housing development on riverside land in a town.

Outline consent for 61 homes on Russett Meadows in King's Lynn, Norfolk, was won on appeal in 2015.

The site is next to Gaywood River, which burst its banks several times recently, according to campaigners monitoring the waterway.

West Norfolk Borough Council said it has policies to ensure new developments do not exacerbate flooding risks.

The site owner has declined to comment.

Campaigner Russell Biggs has lived in King's Lynn for 50 years and said the area the new homes would be built on had always been marshland.

"Nobody walks there in the summer because it's so wet," he said.

"We need the floodplains. The water has to go somewhere and obviously the climate changed, more wetter winters, less colder winters, the water has to go into the floodplain to prevent flooding. It's just common sense."

Gaywood River campaigner Russell Biggs believes developing Russett Meadows will cause flooding issues elsewhere in King's Lynn

Rob Colwell, a Liberal Democrat district and county councillor, said: "I've received a lot of messages from concerned residents about the height of the Gaywood River.

"I think it would be very unwise to build on this land and regardless of whether or not they make efforts to increase the height of the building and the entrances - at the end of the day you have to ask yourself - is this somewhere where people should be living?

"It [the development] doesn't feel right and there is obviously a real concern in King's Lynn about what is happening here."

Councillor Rob Colwell (Lib Dem) says the land known as Russett's Meadow should not be developed despite having consent for 61 homes

Alistair Beales, portfolio holder for business at King's Lynn and West Norfolk borough council, said a council-led housing project at Florence Fields, about a mile (1.6km) south of Russett Meadows, was incorporating flood resistant technologies.

He said more than £2.5m had been invested in the mitigation, which he advocated for towns where homes are built on land thought to be at risk of flooding.

"The homes are higher, there are barriers in the doors and plasterboard does not wick [water] up the walls.

"Of course there is a risk, but that risk is mitigated to the point where it's safe."

Councillor Alistair Beales says flood alleviation and mitigation can be built into new developments

The Environment Agency said it only advised on flood risks and did not make the final decision on planning applications.

The Water Management Alliance, which includes the King's Lynn Internal Drainage Board, declined to comment.