Members of RevIvel attended Urban and Civic’s consultation about their new large development in Baldock called ‘Growing Baldock’.
The event was held on Saturday 25th March and Wednesday 29th March 2023 at Baldock Arts and Heritage Centre (old Town Hall),High Street, Baldock.
It was very important that we made our voice heard about the Importance of Best in Class Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS) to minimise the negative impact on our precious chalk stream.Further details about this are below to help with understanding the issue .
- The River Ivel and groundwater were not high on the agenda of many of the residents attending the consultation.
- North Herts District Council and Urban & Civics representatives have a poor understanding of the groundwater and sewage issues currently impacting Baldock.
- NHDC does not believe we have yet hit the crisis point with a water supply and sewage management in North Herts.
- Groundwater and water management are not part of U&C’s “sustainable solution” – They believe it is a water company responsibility.
- The current situation with lack of flow to the upper River Ivel is not covered in any of the Urban & Civics posters and information.
So the main message to us is clear – keep up the pressure on water companies and both Herts County Council and North Herts District Council and maintain a strong dialogue with Urban & Civic.
More details about ‘Best in Class Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS)’ to a minimise negative impact on our precious chalk stream are
The fundamental principles that influence the planning and design processes
enabling SuDS (Sustainable Drainage Systems) to mimic natural drainage are:
Storing runoff and releasing it slowly (Attenuation)
Harvesting and using the rain close to source.
Allowing water to soak into the ground (Infiltration).
Slowly transporting (Conveying) water on the surface.
Filtering out pollutants.
Allowing sediment to settle out by controlling the flow of water.
Critically SuDS starts with rainwater capture and reuse at source. Sustainable
drainage systems recognises that rainwater is a valuable resource.
Use surface water run-off as a valuable resource to contribute to water
sensitive urban design (WSUD) and adopt the philosophy of integrating the
water cycle within the built environment.
o Helps manage local flood risk.
o Local wildlife benefits
o Recreational, health and well-being benefits to population
o Recognise rainfall is a scare and valuable resource.
oFocus on rainwater capture and reuse at every property on the development.
o Permeable hard standing on driveways and paths
o Every property with water harvesting features/ water butts for garden
use.
In chalk catchments use SuDS to encourage infiltration throughout the
development to contribute to aquifer recharge and support groundwater.
End of pipe solutions where run off is directly discharged to a wetland or pond
should be avoided (faster run off flow, higher levels of pollution).
If we get this right, we can help manage drought resilience, and limit impact of
the urban development on the chalk aquifer and local wildlife.
Getting wrong looks like an ever-larger storage options, often favouring a
giant, steep-sided pond at the bottom of the development or worse still urban
flooding/pollution of our precious chalk stream.
