Planning Application Thought for the Day - Monday - the Monsoon Drains

Flood prevention. There will be two enormous "monsoon drains" to take excess rain water away from the site. One will go east to west parallel with the tramline at the top of the site. There is already a drain there but it will be at least doubled in width and depth.

There will be another enormous open water drain going south to north roughly opposite Burrow Road. This open drain will be 15 metres wide and 3 metres deep (approximately 49 feet wide by 10 ft deep) with sloping sides to the bottom. It will run through the entire site from opposite Burrow Road to the marshes in the north. One of the roads in the development will run over it via a bridge but this will be the only crossing point.

Many people are worried about this monsoon drain (a) when it is full, as it could be a safety hazard to anyone nearby (b) when it is only partly full when it would also be a safety hazard (c) when water in it is stagnant when it would be both a safety hazard and a health hazard and (d) when it is empty and could be filled with litter and debris, again a safety and health hazard.

Perhaps it will be fenced off, or have railings on each side - we don't know as it isn't described in detail. Trouble is, some kids see fences and railings as a challenge.