I am writing this piece not so much to attack or create a ‘he said, she said’ situation – rather to put on paper where we all are at in the big scheme of things – and, as a new member of the community, like the Airport and the Lancing College, this must also include the Albion Football Club. Whilst there has been tremendous opposition to their training development, they will be very much part of our community ongoing and must be able to operate to the benefit of and not to the detriment of themselves and us all.

Once again, this year with the West Beach situation, drainage problems have predominated over the Christmas period. Last year it was both North Lancing and West Beach. Thankfully for North Lancing, with the 2013 ditch/culvert/street drainage maintenance, so far it appears to have alleviated these problems.

And then there are the uncertainties caused by the proposed developments in the flood plain within the revised Adur Plan and the community’s extreme concerns for drainage and infrastructure as to what is being proposed. .

This was followed closely by the failure of the banks of the Adur which flooded the airport with further bad issues in the Shoreham High Street and further east.

There is however, because of the sustained period of heavy rainfall in the last few weeks. another emerging issue. The Albion complex which is apparently well on target for completion next Summer has, I believe, some very obvious drainage problems.

It was observed in the mid afternoon of the 31.12.13 that severe drainage issues are becoming apparent for the club.

On the east side of the complex, where the additional 3 pitches approved last year will be constructed, the whole area is a lake of water at least 2 feet deep – thousands of gallons of water which has obviously gathered because of disruption of the natural surface and ground water drainage of the flood plain by the development of the 55 acres of the site. This was the very concern residents expressed when the application to extend the 3 additional pitches was submitted. Other parts of the site are also very badly affected.

As would be expected, of course the club would have to deny there is an issue and report that once their internal drainage system is complete, this drainage problem will be managed - and that’s totally understandable. They are a business with investors who need to know their money is safe.

But I personally, given the knowledge I now have of the hydrology of the area, do not believe this will be the case. I believe the club will have a problem ongoing which could seriously affect their operations when adverse wet weather occurs. As I mentioned to the club’s project director Martin Perry at our last community meet with the club, ‘Time will tell’.

Commonsense says that this phenomenal localised build up of water on a very active flood plain cannot be natural and also indications are that, together with the inappropriately approved ‘golf course’ which has seen the dumping of thousands of tonnes of aggregate and clay subsoil which has destroyed the natural sponge effect of the flood plain is, in my opinion, directly worsening the problems currently being experienced by West Beach (Hasler Estate) to the south, generally and particularly at the times of the really high tides we are currently experiencing.

In the Adur Plan, West Beach can take comfort from the exclusion of the Old Salts Farm proposed development, but with the many additional thousands of gallons which are the result of displacement and massively increased surface water run off coming their way from the area directly to the north of them, they have every reason to be fearful during the wet times coupled with extreme heights of sea tides. This Christmas period is indicative of their desperate, much worsening situation.

Stating the very obvious – imagine this problem with 600 homes and 25,000 sq m of development being allowed to happen in the same area on this active flood plain – and it will not only affect downstream but upstream also.

We all realise this is overlaid with climate change the effects of which can be seen in so many parts of the UK and for which the world scientific experts predict that sea levels will rise 80cm in the coming decades. The devastation all over the UK has been front page news throughout the Christmas period

It is further compounded by badly considered Government policies taking away the traditional power of local authorities, allowing green belt development and use of such weasel words as ‘mitigation’ and ‘sustainability’ in their drive to meet the housing shortage - all clearly created by the previous administration’s immigration policies to comply with European law and to their own party advantage.

When you look at the overall picture it is one of doom and despondency as to whether we can continue with the way of life we have enjoyed until now.

When you look at all these aspects, what we all must do above all else is not to worsen the situation for Adur.

Everyone, and by that I mean everyone, our county, district and parish councillors, the executive officers of both authorities, our national government representatives, all the key agencies – the water company, the Environment Agency, the Highways Agency – and indeed the community itself must use commonsense to make sure things can be, at the very least, stabilised and not to undertake anything which will increase even in the slightest way the risks to the wellbeing of us all.

As I write, Arun DC has seen the light and is seriously reconsidering the proposed Barnham/Eastergate development in that currently flooded flood plain. Commonsense is prevailing!

http://www.splashfm.com/splashstory.asp?id=6294

Now is the time for the right actions to protect our future. Our local authority should be going out ‘hell for leather’ to defend the position of no building within Adur other than on brownfield and truly sustainable sites and should be doing the right things technically to demonstrate the foolhardiness of not doing so to government.

Cabinet ministers do not have to live here – we all do!

In conclusion, my plea to you all is the exercising of commonsense which may not be always be possible to express in terms of technical measurement, but has served us all so well individually in our daily lives.

Now is the time to act and exercise that common sense which is so much needed in the present situation.

What we do not want is a legacy to be left for our immediate and future generations aptly expressed by the inscription which Spike Milligan requested should be on his gravestone.

"I told you I was ill."

Bill Freeman - concerned resident, North Lancing