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SUTTON AND MEPAL INTERNAL DRAINAGE BOARD

At a Meeting of the Sutton and Mepal Internal Drainage Board

held at the Cricket Club, Chatteris on Thursday the 16th January 2020

PRESENT

M R R Latta Esq (Chairman) M Jackson Esq

C P K Lee Esq (Vice Chairman) R H Smith Esq

A Allan Esq J O Sole Esq

R J Angood Esq P E Sole Esq

T B Edgley Esq E F Veal Esq

W Veal Esq

Miss Lorna McShane (representing the Clerk to the Board) was in attendance.

The Chairman welcomed Mr T Edgley who was attending his first meeting of the Board.

Apologies for absence

Apologies for absence were received from P W Allpress Esq, S J Criswell Esq and T Scott

Esq.

B.2133 Declarations of Interest

Miss McShane reminded Members of the importance of declaring an interest in any matter

included in today’s agenda that involved or was likely to affect any individual on the Board.

The Chairman declared an interest in minute no. B.2137 and the planning applications (MLC

Ref. Nos. 179, 188, 199, 226, 228, 232 & 258) received for R Latta (Farms) Ltd and (MLC Ref No.

320) received for Mr Latta

Mr P Sole declared an interest in the planning application (MLC Ref No. 319) received for Mr

P Sole.

The Chairman declared an interest (as a Member of the Middle Level Board) in any matters

relating to the Middle Level Commissioners.

B.2134 Confirmation of Minutes

RESOLVED

That the Minutes of the Meeting of the Board held on the 29th May 2019 are recorded

correctly and that they be confirmed and signed.

B.2135 Potential Amalgamation Discussions – Sutton & Mepal IDB, Manea & Welney

DDC and Upwell IDB

Further to minute B.2111(ii), the Chairman reported on a meeting held with the Chairmen and

Vice Chairmen of Manea & Welney DDC and Upwell IDB on the 25th November 2019 and referred


to the summary of benefits/disbenefits of amalgamation together with a spreadsheet showing the

makeup, finances and structure of each Board.

The Chairman gave an update on the discussions at the meeting. The Board recognised that,

like other Boards, they could have a problem with membership in the future and they needed to

constantly monitor this. Members asked for an item to be put on the agenda annually for future

consideration. The Chairman explained that all three Boards under consideration boarded the Ouse

Washes, all Boards shared concern about the number of Members and the efficiencies that could be

achieved. However, at the present time, all Boards were happy with the current situation but were

content for the matter to be kept under review and reconsidered in two year’s time.

The Board were mindful that the District Officer may be considering retirement in a couple of

years time and although this was not an issue at present this could be the trigger in the future to

reconsider the matter.

RESOLVED

That an item be put on future agendas to keep this matter under review.

B.2136 Board Membership

Further to minute B.2111(iii), this item had been requested as an agenda item by the Board to

discuss future membership of the Board.

Miss McShane referred to an email received from Mr John Deamer dated the 8th January 2020

advising that as he had sold all his land in the District he wished to resign his membership. She

reminded Members that Mr Deamer had been a member of the Board since October 1984.

Consideration was given to the filling of the vacancy on the Board caused by the resignation

of Mr Deamer.

It was suggested that this vacancy be filled by writing to the following in the order of

preference:-

i) A representative from Mick George Ltd.

ii) Edward Jackson (son of Martin Jackson)

iii) Thomas Pearson (son of Roger Pearson)

The Board particularly felt that in view of the mineral workings in the area that a

representative of Mick George Ltd would be a useful addition for future membership of the Board.

RESOLVED

i) That the Board's appreciation of the services rendered by Mr Deamer be recorded in the

minutes and a letter of thanks be sent to him.

ii) That the Clerk write to Mick George Ltd to ascertain if they wished to nominate a

representative for membership of the Board. If this was declined the Clerk to then write to

firstly Edward Jackson and secondly Thomas Pearson in order to fill the vacancy.


iii) That a letter be sent to Marc Heading acknowledging that it was appreciated that he has

many commitments and suggesting that if he is unable to attend the meetings of the Board

could he appoint another representative to sit on the Board.

B.2137 Water levels in the Counter Drain system

Further to minute B.2107, the Chairman reported that water levels were high at the moment

because of the recent heavy rainfall. The Environment Agency had reduced levels at Welches Dam

which does reduce the water level. The Chairman reported however that water is still coming

through Cranbrook Drain. The Environment Agency have indicated that they have money in their

maintenance budget and are going to pile the bank and reprofile it. The Chairman reported that it

would be necessary to reinforce the bank before these works were commenced.

(NB) - The Chairman declared an interest when this item was discussed.

B.2138 Ouse Washes Section 10 Reservoir Middle Level and South Level Barrier Bank

works

Further to minute B.2108, Miss McShane referred to the Newsletters from the Environment

Agency dated September and December 2019.

It was noted that there had been slippage on some of the works and emergency works had

been carried out near Welches Dam.

B.2139 Clerk's Report

Miss McShane advised:-

i) Middle Level Commissioners and Administered Boards Chairs Meeting

That a fourth Chair’s Meeting was held on the 26th November 2019.

The meeting commenced with a presentation with slides covering the lottery funded

‘Fens Biosphere’ bid. This UNESCO designation would have no statutory backing but

instead aims to draw attention to the unique nature of the area. Good practice sharing would

be facilitated and a framework of support for positive action developed. The idea is to frame

the application around the Cambridgeshire peat lands and the IDB districts which provide a

network of interconnecting watercourses. As this designation would not lead to a set of

actions which would be enforced but could have a positive impact on the area the Board were

asked (at this stage) to consider giving its approval in principle to the bid.

RESOLVED

That the Board approve in principle

Health and Safety discussions followed and it was agreed that the new arrangement

with Cope Safety Management was working well.

The future vision for the MLC and IDBs was discussed and is covered as a separate

agenda item.


On member training, after discussion, it was agreed that members would benefit from

training on ‘communications and engagement’ as it was felt that Boards generally had

challenges in getting messages across to the public.

The only other item covered in any detail was in relation to Board agendas and minutes.

It was resolved that the Chairs supported the move to reducing the amount of paper leaving

the MLC offices and it was also agreed, for reasons of efficiency, that Chairs be provided

with an action points list as soon as practical after the meetings but in advance of issuing draft

minutes.

ii) Applications for byelaw consent

That the following applications for consent to undertake works in and around

watercourses have been approved and granted since the last general meeting of the Board:-

Name of Applicant Description of Works Date consent granted

Mick George Limited Formation of temporary 10m wide 10th May 2019

Haul road, erection of Quickbridge

and associated concrete foundations

Gowing Property Installation of 32mm dia pipe alongside 15th July 2019

Developments District watercourse upstream of

Mepal Pumping Station

RESOLVED

That the action taken in granting consents be approved.

iii) Association of Drainage Authorities

a) Annual Conference

That the 82nd Annual Conference of the Association had been held at the ICE building in

Westminster on Wednesday 13th November 2019.

The conference was very well attended and the speakers this year were:-

Stuart Roberts - Vice President National Farmers’ Union – an arable and livestock

farmer who has also worked for Defra and Flood Standards Agency – who shared his

views on the need for more radical and bold thinking on flood risk management and the

supply of water for agriculture.

Bryan Curtis – Chair Coastal Group Network – Chartered Engineer and a

member of CIWEM and ICE.

Bryan is Chairman of the Coastal Group Network. This is a network of Councils,

Ports, Government bodies who provide a collective voice for the coast and management

of the shoreline.

Robin Price – Interim Managing Director – Water Resources East (WRE)

Water Resources East is a partnership from a wide range of industries including water

energy, retail, the environment, land management and agriculture who are working in

collaboration to manage the number of significant risks to the future supply of water in


the East of England. The NFU and ADA (via the David Thomas) have membership on

the Board of WRE.

The conference was introduced by Robert Caudwell who asked all present to mark their

appreciation of the work being done in the north east of England to respond to and

manage the impacts of the floods. He stated his opinion that warnings at previous ADA

conferences over the lack of river maintenance had fallen on deaf ears and that the

flooding taking place at the time was clear evidence of the need to better balance capital

investment with maintenance spending. He then went on to outline ADA’s intention to

lobby all parties throughout the general election. This included sharing the 7-point plan

detailed below;

1. Long term investment horizons in the face of climate change challenges

Flood risk management delivers enduring benefits and authorities involved need to be able to plan ahead financially over multiple years and need to receive a sensible balance of capital and revenue funding, spread across the river catchments, in order to find efficiencies through climate change adaptation and resilience, and attract business investment.

2. Promote co-operation and partnership working to manage the water environment and reduce flood risk

Close cooperation between flood risk management authorities, water companies, communities, business and land managers needs the continued strong support of government to deliver adaptive and resilient flood risk maintenance and similar activities more efficiently and affordably.

3. Total catchment management

Total catchment management is now the widely accepted approach to managing our water and now is the time to increase and empower local professionals and communities to manage and operate these catchments together.

4. Sustainable drainage systems (SuDS)

The next government needs to fully implement Schedule 3 of the Flood & Water Management Act 2010, to ensure future development can keep pace with the challenges of the changing climate, by ensuring that SuDS are maintained over the lifetime of a development.

5. Support local governance in flood and water level management decision making

In some parts of England there is an appetite for greater local maintenance delivery on watercourses and flood defence assets than that currently afforded from national investment. This can be achieved via the careful transfer of some main river maintenance to local bodies or the expansion of areas maintained by those local bodies, such as Internal Drainage Boards, where there is local support and transitional funding.

6. Local Government Finances

It is vital that Special and Local Levy funding mechanisms for drainage, water level and flood risk management continue to be part of this funding landscape to maintain the democratic link with local communities affected.


7. Brexit: Ensuring a resilient regulatory framework for the water environment

The next government needs to provide clear policy messages about how they wish to make the delivery of environmental improvements to the water environment easier and more effective as we transition from European legislation such as the Water Framework Directive.

Unfortunately, because the conference was held during the pre-election period

sometimes known as Purdah, which restricts certain communications during this time,

there were no representatives available from the Environment Agency or Defra which

significantly restricted the debate on flood risk management, funding and maintenance

issues. However, there was considerable support from the floor of the conference for

the view that lack of maintenance had significantly contributed to the recent problems

with the River Don and the flooding of Fishlake village.

Officers of the Association were re-elected, including Lord De Ramsey as

President and Robert Caudwell as Chairman.

Subscriptions to ADA would be increased by 2% for the following year.

b) Annual Conference

That the Annual Conference of the Association of Drainage Authorities will be held in

London on Wednesday the 11th November 2020.

RESOLVED

That the Clerk be authorised to obtain a ticket for the Annual Conference of the Association

for any Member who wishes to attend.

c) Annual Conference of the River Great Ouse Branch

That the Annual Conference of the River Great Ouse branch of the Association will be

held on Tuesday the 3rd March 2020. The format will be as per the 2019 conference with a

workshop in the morning and the conference in the afternoon.

d) Further Research on Eels

Further to minute B.1962(e), ADA have advised that the valuable research work being

carried out by Hull University on eels and eel behaviour in pumped catchments will be

continuing for at least another two years. ADA consider that the financial support to the

project to date provided by the IDBs has been positive and noted by the regulator (EA),

leading to positive engagement on finding practical solutions at pumping station sites. They

therefore consider that it would be useful if IDBs could consider whether they would be

willing to continue their annual contributions to this research over that period.

RESOLVED

That the Board contribute £50 per year for the next 2 years towards further research on eels.


e) Floodex 2020

That Floodex 2020 will be held at The Peterborough Arena on the 26th and 27th

February 2020.

f) Emergency Financial Assistance for Internal Drainage Boards

That whilst in East Anglia we have not had the unprecedented levels of rainfall which

have occurred further north and in the west of the county in recent years this by no means

equates to there being no risk of it occurring here. ADA have written to DEFRA seeking to

formalise a mechanism for IDBs providing support to the EA in a major event to recover

costs. An update will be given should there be any substantive movement from DEFRA

The Board noted the letter written by ADA to Defra. However, they felt that in the

local area working relationships with the Environment Agency was very good,

RESOLVED

That the Clerk write to Andy Chapman at the Environment Agency, Brampton to express the

Board’s thanks for the assistance and flexibility extended to the Board in respect of extraction of

water last year and that they hoped that the good working arrangements could continue between the

Board and the Environment Agency.

iv) Tactical Plans for the Fens Agreement

That the Environment Agency have set up a multi-partner group (FRM for the Fens) to

steer work on developing strategic plans for managing flood risk in the lower Great Ouse

catchment. This work is considered necessary to address the impacts of population growth

and climate change, which are particularly relevant in this area. The EA is requesting

approval to the approach being taken in principal and follows the letter sent in January 2019.

The perceived value of this work is that it pre-apportions the benefits (land and property

which would flood if not defended) so that applying for grant should be more straight forward

and the amount of grant possible clearer. This should give increased certainty and clarity and

resolves the issue of double counting benefits where for example a property is protected from

flooding by both EA and IDB assets. Work on developing the strategy could take up to 15

years though and the proposal also therefore includes a mechanism for allowing grant-in-

aided works to progress during this time on a hold-the-line basis.

RESOLVED

That the Board approve in principle

v) Water Resources East (WRE)

That the Middle Level Commissioners’ Chief Executive has been appointed as ADA’s

area representative on the Board of WRE. He will act as spokesman for IDBs who have an

interest in the future management and provision of water in the East of England. This is

particularly important as government consider plans to make the area more resilient and as the

impacts of climate change start to bite in an area of rapid housing growth.

To facilitate a place on the Board requires a modest financial contribution from all IDBs

within the area covered by WRE. The MLC contribution is their Chief Executive’s time


spent representing the Boards. For the Commissioners the requested annual contribution is

£53.52.

RESOLVED

That the requested contribution be paid to WRE.

vi) Vision for the Future of Boards administered by the MLC

That Members will be aware that the Chair’s meetings hosted by the MLC has had an

item on the agenda for the last few meetings on future planning of administration and delivery

of operations for the Board’s collectively. As part of this process it has been agreed that

members thoughts should be sought on what they envisage the collective future can and

should look like to ensure the most resilient, delivery focused approach that can be achieved.

Members should when developing their vision of water management in the fens in 2030

consider the challenges of maintaining representation, improving financial resilience,

reducing duplication of work, the potential for cost savings, advantages and disadvantages of

the various options available, the impacts of technology and sharing of resources and

knowledge.

The information gathered from individual meetings will be collated and presented to the

autumn 2020 Chairs meeting for their consideration.

B.2140 Consulting Engineers’ Report, including planning and consenting matters

The Board considered the Report of the Consulting Engineers, viz:-


Sutton & Mepal I.D.B.

Consulting Engineers Report – December 2019

Pumping Station

With little need for pumping over the summer the station having only 2 operational pumps has not

presented any issues and the spare pump (ordered in April 2019) arrived in good time and is now

in service. In October the station underwent its 5 year electrical condition report with no remedial

action required.

Main Pumps

Pump 1 remains in a satisfactory condition for its age but is showing signs of deterioration and is

likely to need replacing in 2020/21. Pump 2 is nearing the end of its life and is showing clear signs

of water ingress and is likely to need replacing in 2020. Pump 3 is the new pump purchased this

year and should operate trouble free for 15 years. All indications are that pump 4 is in a

satisfactory condition. At this time an overhauled pump remains in store as a spare.

Weed Screen Cleaner

The cleaner has operated over a 1000hrs since its overhaul in 2014 and hence suffered notable

problems this year. In June one of the wire hoist ropes snapped leaving the grab hanging

precariously in the drain on one rope, both ropes have now been replaced. In November the trolley

started to judder and trip in the runway, the cause was worn wheel rims one of which had come

loose. It is recommended the wheels be overhauled in summer 2020.

Pumping hours Total Hours Run Dec 18-Dec 19 Dec 17-Dec 18 Dec 16-Dec 17

No 1 693 940 572 No 2 710 870 526 No 3 141 1009 602 No 4 143 1 41

Total Hours Run Dec 15-Dec 16 Dec 14–Dec 15 Dec 13–Dec 14

No 1 652 872 1346 No 2 764 671 1477 No 3 720 875 1384 No 4 830 0 171

Pumping Station Asset Appraisals

Further to the asset appraisal carried out in 2010 for the EA the Board requested an update for

2020.


Mepal Diesel Pumping Station

Station Details

Internal Drainage Board Sutton and Mepal

Commissioned 1929

Refurbished

Pumps

Duty 2550 l/s @ ? TGH

Drive Motor 2 no Diesel Brush (no longer in operation) and Ruston

Gearbox

Control Equipment Manually operated

Automatic Level Control Manually operated

Weedscreen Cleaner Manual

Control Building Brick with pitched roof

Telemetry None

Fencing

General Comments

Mepal is the only pumping station in Sutton and Mepal Internal Drainage Board catchment and

serves to drain a large area of arable land and highland to the southeast of the town of Chatteris.

The diesel driven pump station was constructed in 1929 and replaced the steam driven pumps. An


electric station was constructed on-site in 1990 to supplement the existing diesel driven pump

station. The pumping station originally housed two diesel driven pumps one of which (left suction

pipe in the picture) is no longer in operation. The remaining diesel driven pump is now only

operated when the electricity supply fails or when the electric pumps cannot cope with the volume

of flow.

Weedscreen

The manually raked metal

weedscreen consists of

13mm thick bar sections

at 120mm centres. The

weedscreen is positioned

approximately 20 metres

in front of the intake. The

weedscreen has a metal

walkway with 1.2 metre

high handrailing which is

used for maintenance

purposes. The screen is showing signs of corrosion but should last a further 15 years.

Control House

The original control building dates back to the turn of the century and was originally fitted with

steam driven pumps. The station was extended in 1929 and the original steam driven pumps were

superseded with a single Brush diesel driven one. Later a second Ruston diesel driven pump was

installed to supplement pumping.

The Brush diesel driven pump (connected to an Allen Gwynnes 36″ pump) is no longer in

operation, however it may still be serviceable if overhauled. The electric pump station constructed

in 1990 is now the primary means of pumping, however, the single Ruston diesel engine is used

when needed to supplement this in high flow conditions and when there is a power failure.


The original building probably constructed at the turn of the century is in relatively good condition

for its age. The existing paddle wheel attached to the main building was removed in 1929 when

the building was extended to house the diesel driven pump. The extension is now suffering from

extensive subsidence and is parting from the main building.

The control building is of brick construction with a pitched tiled roof. The original part of the building

has not been too affected by subsidence and is in fairly sound condition. The extension is likely to

have been built in 1929 and has been affected by subsidence. The building has started to subside

and tilt causing it to move away from the original structure.

A decision will need to be made on the long-term plans for this catchment and the station as the

existing building is in poor condition and the electric pumps are undersized for the area served.

The need for an additional/replacement pumping station or uprating of the existing pumps should

be considered.

Control Equipment/Pumps

The station has two diesel driven

pumps. Only one of these engines

is now working the older one

being out of commission. The

decommissioned engine was

manufactured by Brush and drives

a 36″ Allen Gwynnes pump via a

gearbox. Although no longer

operational it is considered that it

could become functional again if a

complete overhaul was carried

out.

The station has no telemetry.

The newer diesel engine manufactured by Ruston is in good working condition but is only used as

an ancillary pump when the power to the electric pump is interrupted or when additional capacity is

required. This diesel engine can deliver twice the capacity of the electric station. It was envisaged

that the catchment area draining to the station would be split into two zones and that a new

pumping station would be constructed at Sutton Gault to pump the other half of the catchment. As

this has not happened the electric pumps have to work considerably longer hours than originally

expected. This diesel pump is operating satisfactorily and if properly maintained should last a

further 15-20 years assuming the suction pipework and building remain viable.


Fencing/Compound

The compound around the diesel control building is laid to stone and is in good condition and

should not require any further major expenditure for the next 15 years.

There is no fencing around the diesel control building.

Inlets/Outlets

The inlet wingwalls are of sheet steel piles and are concrete capped. They are in reasonable

condition and although showing signs of some corrosion should last a further 30 – 40 years.

The outlet is in fair condition and should last a further 20 – 30 years.


Pumping Station Valuations

Site Name Sutton & Mepal IDB - Fortreys Hall Pumping Stn.(Diesel)

Site Data

No. Pumps 1 operational 1 disused

Station Capacity 2.5 cumec

Station built

Description of Station

Valuation

Civils Works £1,006,050.00

M&E £556,410.00

Other £43,000.00

Total £1,605,460.00

Breakdown of valuation

Civils Works

Pump sump £317,700.00

Hard standing £52,950.00

Fencing £52,950.00

Outfall £158,850.00

Pumphouse/workshop £211,800.00

Other weedsreen/pipelines £211,800.00

M&E

Pump £218,200.00

Station electrics, heating etc £32,730.00

Crane £10,910.00

power pack etc £218,200.00

Installation £76,370.00

auxillarys £21,820.00

Other

Approvals £10,750.00

Liaison and consultation £5,375.00

Design £26,875.00

Supervision £21,500.00

The following is an estimate of the maximum expected cost of rebuilding or replacing the pumping station on the same or

an adjacent site following a catastrophic failure, eg a fire, a collapse or an explosion.

2 No Allen Gwynnes 36" Double Entry Spit Case Centrifugal Fen Pumps powered by a

Ruston VEB and a Brush diesel engine (the latter is currently disused).


Mepal Electric Pumping Station

Station Details

Internal Drainage Board Sutton and Mepal

Commissioned 1990

Refurbished

Pumps 3 no. Flygt PL7060 Submersible

Duty 1000 l/s @ 5.5m Total Gauge Head

Drive Motor Submersible

Gearbox None

Control Equipment Blackburn Starling Star-Delta

Automatic Level Control Milltronics

Weedscreen Cleaner Heron model by EJ Lord

Control Building Brick with tile effect sheet steel roof sheeting

Telemetry None

Fencing 1.8 metre high galvanised palisade

General Comments

Mepal is the only pumping station in Sutton and Mepal Internal Drainage Board catchment and

serves to drain a large area of arable land and highland to the southeast of the town of Chatteris.

The electric station was constructed in 1990 to supplement the existing diesel driven pump station.

The pumping station consists of three submersible pumps operated by a control panel located in a

brick control building. The existing diesel pump has been retained and used as a back up and to

provide extra discharge when required.


Weedscreen

The weedscreen and automatic weedscreen

cleaner were installed when the station was

commissioned in 1990. Until the complete

overhaul and upgrade in 2014 (including

inverter drive for trolley motor) the plant had

only operated 800hrs and had suffered

reliability problems. Since the overhaul the

plant has now operated over 1000hrs. The

weedscreen consists of 12mm thick

galvanised bar section at 65mm centres.

The screen is in very good condition and

should last a further 20 – 25 years unless

damaged by the cleaning process. The

automatic weedscreen consists of an

overhead monorail with a trolley and gripper

manufactured by EJ Lord. It should have a

further 22–25 years design life with periodic overhauls.

Control House

The control building constructed in 1990 is of brick construction with a pitched roof with tile effect

roof sheeting. The brickwork and roof sheeting are in good condition and should last a further 50

years.

There are no windows in the building and lighting is artificial by means of a double fluorescent

light.

The metal door to the station is in good condition and should last a further 20 years if maintained.

It should be noted that the door requires painting.

The fascia and eaves are of timber construction and are in reasonable condition and should last a

further 10-15 years. The rainwater goods are plastic, are in good condition and should last a

further 10–15 years.


Control Equipment/Pumps

The control panel was manufactured by Blackburn Starling and is in good condition. The pumps

are operated by a Milltronics Multiranger programmable level controller built into the panel. The

weedscreen operation is also operated by a Milltronics unit built into the panel. Note the new facia

on the weedscreen cleaner section door fitted as part of the upgrade/overhaul in 2014. The panel

should have a further 20 years design life assuming main parts remain available.

The submersible pumps are manufactured by Flygt pumps. Pump 3 was removed in 2014 and

replaced with the “spare” however in 2019 its winding resistance to earth went dangerously low

(250 Ohms) and it was decided to purchase a new replacement pump which was fitted in October

2019. Pumps 1 & 2 are also showing signs of deterioration and may need replacing in the next

year or two. A spare pump still remains in store.


Pump 4

An additional 10″ pump was installed after the station was commissioned to provide extra pump

down capacity to a watercourse located near the pumping station. There is a separate control

panel that operates this pump which is located in the control building. The single phase Rotork

actuator was replaced with a 3 phase Auma Actuator in Jan 2016

The station does not have any telemetry.

Fencing/Compound

The compound is accessed directly off the metalled public road. The site is secured by a 1.8 metre

high galvanised palisade fence that is in good condition and should last a further 20 – 25 years.

There is a vehicular entrance gate to the site.

The compound is laid to grass and stone and is starting to subside in places and could do with

some tidying up over the next few years but no major expenditure is expected in the next 15 years.

There is an electricity sub-station attached to the control building.


Inlets/Outlets

The existing inlet wingwalls are constructed of sheet steel piles and are concrete capped. The

sheet steel piles are in good condition with only slight corrosion and should have a further 30 – 40

years life.

The inlet sump is of reinforced concrete construction and is in good condition with no signs of

deterioration and should last a further 50 years.

The outlet is of reinforced concrete and is in good condition with a further design life of 40 years.

The three metal flap valves were overhauled in 2015 and appear to be in good condition with little

signs of corrosion and should last a further 20 years if maintained.


Pumping Station Valuations

Site Name Sutton & Mepal IDB - Fortreys Hall Pumping Stn.(Electric)

Site Data

No. Pumps 4

Station Capacity 3.0 cumec

Station built 1990

Description of Station

Valuation

Civils Works £963,690.00

M&E £381,850.00

Other £43,000.00

Total £1,388,540.00

Breakdown of valuation

Civils Works

Pump sump £529,500.00

Hard standing £21,180.00

Fencing £10,590.00

Outfall £158,850.00

Control building £31,770.00

Other weedsreen/pipelines £211,800.00

M&E

Pumps/canisters £218,200.00

Control Equipment/cabling £109,100.00

Power Supply Inc in public liability

Motors/gearboxes inc submersible

Installation £54,550.00

Weedscreen raker £87,280.00

Other

Approvals £10,750.00

Liaison and consultation £5,375.00

Design £26,875.00

Supervision £21,500.00

The following is an estimate of the maximum expected cost of rebuilding or replacing the pumping station on the same or

an adjacent site following a catastrophic failure, eg a fire, a collapse or an explosion.

3 no. Flygt PL7060 Submersible, 1 no Flygt 3152 submersible Northern Area pump

Blackburn Starling Star-Delta. EJ Lord Heron Weedscreen Cleaner. Brick control

buiding with tile effect sheet steel roof sheeting.


Pumping Station 20 Year Expenditure Forecast

Pumping Station Mepal Internal Drainage Board Sutton and Mepal

Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 Year 6 -

10 Year 11 -

15 Year 16 -

20

Function Category Description 2020/21 2021/22 2022/23 2023/24 2024/25 2025 - 2030

2030 - 2035

2035 - 2040

Total Refurbishment/Replacement 1.2M

Pumping and Control Equipment 40k 40k

Weedscreen Cleaning Equipment 2k 10k

Control Building 5k

Compound and Surroundings

Telemetry 10K

Need

1.2M: The old diesel station is still required in times of high rainfall and both the building and pumps are approaching the time when they may not be viable anymore

40k,40k: A new electric pump was installed in October 2019 (pump 3) and it is likely pumps 1 & 2 will need replacing in quick succession.

2k, 10k: Minor repairs to cleaner needed followed by overhaul in 2024/25.

Telemetry for data gathering, sharing, plant failure alarms and remote access when current District Officer retires.

Note - Costs are based on value of works at 2009 prices. - These are estimated capital replacement figures and do not include routine maintenance costs.


Agitation Dredging Group

The EA has again failed to deliver this pilot and offered apologies for this failure. The EA has

provided assurances and expressed a desire to work with the IDBs to ensure no further slippage of

this project.

Flood Risk Management (FRM) for the Fens Technical Group [previously reported as

the Future Fenland Project]

The Middle Level Commissioners’ Planning Engineer has represented both the Middle Level

Commissioners and their associated Boards on the Technical Group since the last Board meeting.

An article detailing the project was included on page 16 of the Summer edition of the ADA Gazette.

This can be found at https://flickread.com/edition/html/index.php?pdf=5d1efbbc0a48b#16

The project is further discussed under a separate Agenda item.

Planning Applications

In addition to matters concerning previous applications, the following 11 new development related

matters have been received and, where appropriate, dealt with since the last meeting:

MLC Ref.

Council Ref.

Applicant

Type of Development

Location

313 H/19/00719/FUL Mr P Ford Residence Colnefields, Somersham

314 Enquiry Mr A Moore Residential Colne Long Drove, Colne

315 F/YR19/0300/PNC04 P J Lee & Sons Residence Stocking Drove, Chatteris

316 F/YR19/0448/CCSCOP & E/19/02999/CCSC

Langwood Fen (Cambrideshire Aggregates Ltd)

Minerals, waste and habitat creation

Langwood Fen & Witcham Meadlands Quarry, Block Fen Drove, Chatteris/Mepal

317 E/19/01105/FUL Mr & Mrs Baxter

Residence (Double car port and store) Chatteris Road, Mepal

318 F/YR19/0702/AG1 D & M Jackson & Son Agricultural Iretons Way, Chatteris

319 F/YR19/0755/AG1 Mr P Sole Mineral extraction for agricultural use

Langwood Fen Drove, Chatteris

320 E/19/01332/FUL Mr Latta

Residence (Extension and detached garage) The Gault, Ely

321 F/YR19/0878/F Mr A & Mrs L Fox Residence (Extension) Eastwood, Chatteris

322 E/19/01433/FUL Mr S Pogson Residence (Extension) The Gault, Sutton

323 F/YR19/0869/F Mr M Clarke Residence (Extension Tithe Road, Chatteris

Planning applications ending 'PNCO' relate to prior notification change of use issues Planning application ending ‘SC’ and ‘SCOP’ relate to Screening/Scoping Opinions

Planning applications ending ‘AG1’ relate to Agricultural Notification

From the information provided it is believed that all the developments propose to discharge surface

water to soakaways, infiltration devices and/or Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS). The

applicants have been notified of the Board's requirements.

https://flickread.com/edition/html/index.php?pdf=5d1efbbc0a48b#16


No further correspondence has been received from the applicants or the applicants’ agents

concerning the following development and no further action has been taken in respect of the

Board’s interests.

Extraction and processing of sand and gravel and construction of access onto Chatteris

Road (B1050), and associated works in connection with the construction of agricultural

reservoirs on land at Bridge Farm, Holme Fen Drove, Colne - R Latta (Farms) Ltd

(MLC Ref Nos 179, 188, 199, 226, 228, 232 & 258) + Mick George Ltd (MLC Ref Nos

296, 297 & 300)

In view of the absence of recent correspondence and any subsequent instruction from the

Board it will be presumed, unless otherwise recorded, that the Board is content with any

development that has occurred and that no further action is required at this time.

Extraction of sand and gravel with restoration to agricultural use both at low level and

existing level using waste silt and imported inert waste at land off Block Fen Drove,

Mepal – Redland Aggregates Ltd (MLC Ref No 350/8), Aggregate Industries UK Ltd +

Larfarge Aggregates Ltd trading as Larfarge Tarmac & Tarmac Trading Ltd (MLC Ref

Nos 50, 87, 88, 192 & 196)

Further to the last Board meeting the Case Officer at the County Council advised in

May that:

“I’ve not heard from Tarmac on this since I provided my preliminary advice in December. Since then Michael Charlton confirmed that they hadn’t shelved the scheme and the EA provided preliminary advice on 15 Feb.”

No further correspondence has been received.

See also the Block Fen/Langwood Fen Master Plan entry below.

Developments at Wenny House, Iretons Way, Chatteris – Mr Jackson (MLC Ref No

078); Mr & Mrs Jackson (MLC Ref No 143); Mrs Jackson (MLC Ref No 275); D M

Jackson & Son (MLC Ref No 164 & 318)

An Agricultural Notification was submitted to Fenland District Council in August for the

erection of a 20m x 30m barn to replace a similar structure at Stocking Drove that was

lost in an arson attack in May.


Presumably prompted by the Advisory Note on the subsequent Decision Notice, the

applicants have contacted the Board to discuss surface water management from the

site and indicated that it is intended to discharge to soakaways and an existing gravel

pit and pond on the site. Given the scale of the proposed barn and hard standing the

applicant was advised that it would need to undertake a check of the proposed design

to confirm that it meets the Board’s requirements. No further correspondence has

been received from the applicant.

Developments at Hundreds Farm, Langwood Fen Drove, Chatteris – A Sole & Son

(MLC Ref No 091) & Mr P Sole (MLC Ref No 319)

An Agricultural Notification was submitted to Fenland District Council in August for

the extraction of granular material (to improve the stability of tracks across the

agricultural landholding) from an area of 180.0m x 50.0m.

Drawing No. 001 showing the site’s location

The application seeks to advise the LPA of the intention to extract approximately

27,000 tonnes of sand and gravel for the use of improving the existing and creating

agricultural tracks within the applicant’s holding.

In the absence of any technical data it is not possible to advise on any adverse

implications on the Board’s operations or whether prior written consent is required.

Soils and Mineral processing; plant washing and stock pile area etc at Witcham

Meadlands Quarry, Block Fen Drove, Mepal – Mick George (Haulage) Ltd (MLC Ref


No 156); Mick George Ltd (MLC Ref Nos 207, 211, 213, 286, 289 & 303) + Langwood

Fen (Cambrideshire Aggregates Ltd) (MLC Ref No 316)

Highway improvement to upgrade Block Fen Drove (MLC Ref No 286)

No further correspondence has been received from or contact made with the applicant.

Formation of Temporary Access Road/Quickbridge (MLC Ref No 289)

Further to the last Board meeting the byelaw application for the erection of a temporary

quickbridge together with the associated foundations and temporary haul road 880m

south west of Point 14 was recommended for approval and has presumably been

installed.

Extension of Witcham Meadlands Quarry (MLC Ref No 303)

It is understood that a decision remains pending on this planning application.

Extraction of sand and gravel and importation of inert waste to create wet

grasslands (MLC Ref No 316)

Note. A Scoping Opinion is a planning process where the applicant asks the relevant Local Planning Authority for its formal opinion as to what information should be included within an Environmental Statement to accompany an application for planning permission for the related proposal.

A formal Scoping Opinion was requested by Gough Planning & Development Ltd in

respect of a planning application being prepared for the extraction of 9.5 million tonnes

of sand and gravel and the importation of 6 million tonnes of inert waste at Langwood

Fen.

In reaching its decision the East Cambridgeshire District Council considered that:

“… on the basis of the information provided, particularly as a result of the likely duration of the development, and the cumulative impact with the existing permitted quarry, an application for the proposed development is required to be accompanied by an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).”

Issues to be included in the EIA are Hydrogeology and hydrology; Landscape; Amenity

Protection; Highways; Nature Conservation, Archaeology; Soils; Cumulative impacts and

Socio-economic impacts.

The Case Officer specifically advised the applicants’ agent to speak to the Board about this

site. To date no communication has been received.

See also the Block Fen/Langwood Fen Master Plan entry below.


Drawing No. GPD-101 showing the extent of the Scoping Opinion Request


Mixed Use Development on land south east of London Road, Chatteris - Hallam Land

Management Ltd (MLC Ref Nos 160,184 & 190)

According to Fenland District Council’s Public Access web page, a decision on this site

still remains pending.

Developments at Cromwell Community College, Wenny Road, Chatteris – Cromwell

Community College (MLC Ref Nos 173, 186, 197 & 310)

Further to the last Meeting Report planning permission was granted by the County

Council in September subject to the imposition of planning conditions including both

foul and surface water disposal and biodiversity enhancements. An informative

advising the applicant of the need to comply with the requirements of the relevant

Internal Drainage Board was not included in the Decision Notice.

Subsequent to this, three discharge of condition applications have been submitted to

the County Council. None of these relate to the Board’s interests.

To date, the applicant, its agent, Phase 2 Planning and Development Ltd, and its

engineering consultant, the MLM Group, have not contacted the Board to enquire

whether this approach is acceptable or would be approved should the proposal

proceed.

Therefore, in order to resolve this matter and guide further discussions it would

be beneficial to receive the Board’s opinion, further instruction and approval to

initially write to the parties concerned in order to resolve this potential issue.

Formation of an irrigation reservoir involving extraction processing, the export of sand

and gravel and other works at Short North Fen Drove/Blabys Drove, Sutton - P J Lee &

Sons (MLC Ref Nos 177, 182, 298 & 301)

Further to the last Meeting Report planning permission was granted in June for the

construction of an additional irrigation reservoir following the extraction and export

of sand and gravel using the existing facilities, subject to the imposition of planning

conditions including ground water disposal, ecological mitigation and habitat

management An informative advising the applicant of the need to comply with the

requirements of the relevant Internal Drainage Board was included in the Decision

Notice.


To date, the applicant, its agent, Mick George Ltd, and its water management

consultant, the Geoff Beel Consultancy, have not contacted the Board to enquire

whether its consent is required.




Erection of an Anaerobic Digester (AD) plant with maize clamps involving the

construction of a new access, and the formation of a surface water reservoir land east

of Greys Farm, Iretons Way, Chatteris – Pretoria Energy Ltd (MLC Ref Nos 227, 231 &

240) & Installation of a Biomethane Injection pipeline (to inject into the National Grid) at

Gas pipeline for anaerobic digester plant at Iretons Way, Chatteris - Little Green

Consulting Ltd (MLC Ref No 245); Pretoria Energy Ltd (MLC Ref No 246) & Pretoria

Energy Company (Mepal) Ltd (MLC Ref Nos 305 & 309)

The variation of conditions applications was granted planning permission in September

subject to the imposition of planning conditions including surface water disposal,

flooding, water quality and the protection of water voles. An informative advising the

applicant of the need to comply with the requirements of the relevant Internal Drainage

Board was not included in the Decision Notice.

The proposals involve several items that are of interest to the Board and may require

its consent. To date, neither the applicant nor its agent, Plandescil Ltd, have contacted

the Board to enquire whether its consent is required.




Development Contributions

Contributions received in respect of discharge consent will be reported under the Agenda Item –

‘Contributions from Developers.’

Local Plan Update and associated Consultations

Cambridgeshire County Council (CCC)

Cambridgeshire Statement of Community Involvement (SCI) document

No further correspondence has been received in respect of this document.


2019 revision of the Local Validation Guidance List & Local Validation Check List for

planning applications for the County Council’s own development & for waste development

A report detailing the proposed revisions and the public responses which included responses from

various interested parties including the Commissioners, several Parish and Town Councils, and

various County Council departments went before the County Councils on 16 May.

A copy of the report can be found on the Council’s webpage by using the following link and

searching for “Review of the Local Information Requirements for the Validation of Planning

Applications”:

https://cmis.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/ccc_live/Meetings/tabid/70/ctl/ViewMeetingPublic/mid/397/Meeting/232/Committee/8/Default.aspx

However, the relevant items, as far as the Commissioners and relevant associated Boards are

concerned, are summarised below.

“3.0 CONSULTATION RESPONSES 3.10 Middle Level Commissioners – Middle Level Commissioners have made a number of comments: 1. The contents of the Middle Level Commissioner’s response of 2017 remain relevant. 2. The Commissioners are pleased to note that the reference in the introduction on page 2 of the 2019 LVL Guidance notes to the use of relevant and competent technical specialists and encourage this. 3. The commissioners and associated boards promote meaningful preapplication advice and work with CCC colleagues to ensure that any issues concerning flood risk, water level management, navigation and environmental issues are dealt with prior to the planning application process, which offers more certainty in the decision making process. The Middle Level Commissioners would be pleased if applicants and/or agents could be advised to contact the Middle Level Commissioners for advice within their jurisdiction. A web site link is given to their pre- and post-application procedure: https://middlelevel.gov.uk/consents/. 4. The Commissioners request that applicants and/or agents are reminded that should planning approval be given by Cambridgeshire County Council, to remind the applicant(s) agent(s) that any matters requiring consent under the requirements of the Land Drainage Act, the Highways Act, the Water Industry Act, the Flood and Water Management Act and/or the Middle Level Act 2018, which relates to navigation related issues, must be complied with before any work is commenced on site. 5. It is requested that any drawings that are submitted to County Council be to a recognised engineering scale including a scale bar and advice on what size of paper the drawing should be printed on. 6. The Commissioners are pleased to note that the reference in the introduction on page 2 of the 2019 LVL Guidance notes to the use of relevant and competent technical specialists and encourage this. 7. The Biodiversity Survey and Report (Paragraph 4) includes reference to the Middle Level Biodiversity Manual (2016), on page 5 - this remains current on 10 April 2019. 8. The Statement of Sustainable Design and Construction (Paragraph 5) includes or the provision of both a foul drainage strategy and water conservation strategy, on pages 6 and 7. This is supported but it is suggested that the latter should be applied County wide and not just applied to the South Cambridgeshire District Council’s area. 9. The Flood Risk Assessment (Paragraph 7) gives a list of application types that is appropriate to provide a Flood Risk Assessment for. The last bullet point (on page 8) refers to developments of: “Less than 1 hectare within flood zone 1 which has critical drainage problems as notified by the Environment Agency.” Unless the area is identified within a Preliminary Flood Risk Assessment) the Environment Agency are unlikely to be involved. Drainage is the responsibility of several stakeholders, including Internal Drainage Boards and your Council’s Flood Risk and Biodiversity Team. The latter are more likely to be aware of and have to resolve




“critical drainage problems”. It is reassuring to note and we applaud the inclusion of a reference and a link to our “Planning Advice and Consent Documents” webpage on page 9. 10. Additional Plans and Drawings (including cross-sections where required). (Paragraph 22), the inclusion of the section detailing other plans and drawings and suggesting suitable scales for these is noted and supported.” “4.0 Consideration of the Consultation responses 4.10 Middle Level Commissioners – 1. Noted with thanks. No changes required. 2. Pre application advice - References to Middle Level guidance will be retained, so no changes required. 3. References to Middle Level guidance are retained and it is recommended that the Middle Level Commissioners are added to the list of other bodies who provide pre-application advice. 4. Consent under the requirements of the Land Drainage Act is covered when necessary by informative at decision stage. 5. Drawings - This is covered by national guidance, so no changes required. 6. Technical specialists’ reference - Noted with thanks. No changes required. 7. Biodiversity survey - Noted with thanks. No changes required. 8. Statement of Sustainable Design and Construction - This is already covered across all districts based on the relevant adopted policy guidance. The reference to South Cambridgeshire is only made as their requirements are stricter through adopted policy. Therefore no changes are required. 9. Flood Risk Assessment - Officers acknowledge that drainage is the responsibility of several stakeholders and have noted the acceptance to the Middle Level Commissioners planning advice pages. This will be retained on the new guidance and therefore no further changes are required. 10. Additional Plans and drawings - Noted with thanks. No changes required.”

A copy of the Planning Committee Minutes can be viewed via the following link by searching for

“Minutes – 16th May 2019”:


The final published versions of both the Statement of Community Involvement (SCI) and the Local

Validation List and Guidance Notes can be accessed via the following link:

https://www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/business/planning-and-development/planning-applications/submitting-a-planning-application/

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough (C&P) Minerals and Waste Local Plan (M&WMLP)

Block Fen/Langwood Fen Master Plan

In 2017 the Environment Agency (EA) engaged Mott Macdonald who were commissioned to do a

review of the original Cranbrook Drain/Counter Drain Flood Risk Management (FRM) Strategy

(adopted 2008), taking in to account updated climate change projections (UKCP09). This work

informed the Minerals & Waste consultation in the summer of 2018, with the EA confirming that the

use of the restored areas for Flood Risk Management is still its preferred strategy but noting the

volume of flood storage required would need to be closer to 16.5 million cubic metres.

At the end of 2018, pre-application planning advice was sought from Tarmac Trading Ltd in relation

to its site which currently has an existing approved restoration plan to low level agricultural use,

which was approved before the Masterplan was adopted. Tarmac Trading Ltd’s proposed revised






restoration plan is to landfill a large proportion of the site with inert landfill and then return it to

arable use, with two lakes and other low-lying flood storage areas returned to grazing use. As

raised in the Board’s January and May 2019 Meeting Reports, a joint meeting was held with the EA

and the County Council who provided comments to Tarmac Trading Ltd in January raising

concerns that the proposal presented technical challenges and in its current state was unworkable

in providing the required flood storage.

Members will be aware that the issue of forming a forum or group with the relevant parties to

discuss and manage the key details in order to ensure that the final aim is delivered in a useable,

and not dysfunctional manner, has been raised by the Commissioners’ Planning Engineer in the

past but has previously been ignored. However, throughout 2019 the EA has only so far been

consulting internally over the proposals for the area and its flood risk management strategy. An

internal working group has been established with representatives from its Sustainable Places;

Partnership and Strategic Overview; Groundwater; Waste, Land and Water; Waterways and

Fisheries Biodiversity and Geomorphology teams. Some work has also been carried out by its

Partnership and Strategic Overview team to take a more detailed look at the proposals submitted

by Tarmac Trading Ltd to inform more constructive discussions. The EA has arranged a working

group meeting in December 2019 to discuss the strategy. The Commissioners’ Planning Engineer

together with a representative from the County Council’s planning team have also been invited.

Members may recall that at its June 2013 meeting it was resolved in Minute B.1730 Consulting

Engineers’ Report iv) Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Minerals and Waste Management

Development Plan:

“That the Consulting Engineer's involve the Board in any stakeholder group and that the Chairman, Vice Chairman and Mr R J Lee be authorised to attend meetings on behalf of the Board.”

Discussions are currently at an early stage but in view of the above and the possibility of

needing to contact the Board between its meeting dates it may be appropriate for the Board

to re-visit and reaffirm this resolution.

East Cambridgeshire District Council (ECDC)

East Cambridgeshire Local Plan

Further to the last Board Meeting Report the ECDC issued “A Statement setting out the outcome of

a Review of the Local Plan” during October. It includes the following:

“The East Cambridgeshire Local Plan 2015 becomes 5 years old on 21 April 2020, and therefore a Review is required by that date. “

but adds that the following:

https://www.eastcambs.gov.uk/sites/default/files/withdrawal-notice.pdf


“Outcome of the Review

On 17 October 2019, East Cambridgeshire District Council concluded a Review and determined that its Local Plan 2015 does not at the present time require to be updated. As such, no new Local Plan for the area is to be commenced.”

A copy of the Statement can be found at the following link:

https://www.eastcambs.gov.uk/sites/default/files/Local%20Plan%20Review%20-%20Statement%2017.10.19_0.pdf

Fenland District Council (FDC)

FDC Liaison Meeting

A meeting was held at the end of March. Issues discussed included navigation related matters,

notes on the LLCR, the Wisbech Garden Town, the FRM for The Fens project, the Future High

Street Fund bid for March etc.

Another meeting is currently being organised.

Emerging Local Plan

Fenland District Council is preparing a new Local Plan which, when adopted, will replace the

current Fenland Local Plan (May 2014). The Local Plan is an important document which will

“determine what the district will look like in the future and how it will become an even better place

to live, work and visit.”

The Council undertook a Public Consultation on the Issues & Options Consultation Document,

holding a ‘Call for Sites’ exercise, requesting nominations for Local Green Spaces, and inviting

views on the Sustainability Appraisal Scoping Report.

The Issues & Options consultation followed a questionnaire type format with many of the questions

asked not being applicable to our duties and functions. A response was made on behalf of the

Commissioners and our relevant associated Boards, within Cambridgeshire. Where relevant

comments were made on issues of concern related to the question concerned. Issues raised

included export cables/mains from energy production developments, the loss of peat based soils,

footpaths/cycleways, the retention of and access to on-site open watercourses, water efficiencies

in new development, the natural environment, development within the floodplain, pre-application

consultation, drainage strategies, the retention and improvement of rivers, their settings and

associated corridors and neighbourhood planning. The opportunity was also taken to include some

generic text on issues of relevance in respect of development related issues.



https://www.fenland.gov.uk/core-strategy


Level 1 SFRA & WCS documents

Royal Haskoning DHV have been appointed to update the Level 1 Strategic Flood Risk

Assessment (SFRA) and Water Cycle Study (WCS) for Fenland District Council as part of the

evidence for the new Local Plan.

An Inception Meeting has been held and an information request is currently being processed.

Huntingdonshire District Council (HDC) Local Plan to 2036

Infrastructure Planning and Delivery In May the following was received from the District Council:

“I am writing with regards your continued input into the infrastructure needs for Huntingdonshire. Thank you for your agency/company engagement over the last 18 month in the development of the Infrastructure Delivery Plan (IDP). This was used to support the new Local Plan to 2036 which was considered for adoption by Full Council on 15th May. Please visit the following link and specifically documents INF/01 – 03 to view the final documents again http://www.huntingdonshire.gov.uk/planning/new-local-plan-to-2036/local-plan-document-library/”

Developer Contributions Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) and Community

Infrastructure Levy (CIL)

Huntingdonshire District Council is currently reviewing the 2011 Developer Contributions

Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) and Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL). To inform the

development of the SPD it needs to better understand current and future infrastructure

http://www.huntingdonshire.gov.uk/planning/new-local-plan-to-2036/local-plan-document-library/

http://www.huntingdonshire.gov.uk/planning/new-local-plan-to-2036/local-plan-document-library/


requirements, what would trigger a developer contribution and how any Section 106 money that

has previously been received has been spent. Also, what infrastructure has been delivered as a

result thus enabling the District Council to test a revised Developer Contributions and CIL schedule

against development viability and hence provide practical up-to-date guidance together with a

schedule for land owners, developers and development management officers.

A Public Consultation (using a questionnaire format) was held between Tuesday 16 July and

Friday 6 September but it was not considered appropriate to respond, primarily because the

Commissioners and associated Boards do not currently have any infrastructure projects which are

likely to require developer contributions through the planning process. However, the opportunity

was taken to advise the District Council of the current and potential future funding processes in

respect of our interests ie Grant-In-Aid funding, Green Infrastructure, Navigation and Partnership

Working.

The response included the following summary:

“As discussed above, there are procedures in place for external funding which are available to the Commissioners and associated Boards and, therefore, they do not currently have any projects for the delivery of infrastructure that require developer contributions through the planning process. It is likely that this will remain the case in the short to medium term. However, as the findings of the above projects and studies are completed and assessed, together with impacts as a result of changes to Government policy, seeking funding via the planning process may become necessary in the longer term. However, the extent, location and value of this is currently unknown and may take some time to determine.”

Cambridgeshire Flood Risk Management Partnership (CFRMP)

The Middle Level Commissioners’ Planning Engineer has represented both the Middle Level

Commissioners and their associated Boards since the last Board meeting. The main matters that

may be of interest to the Board are as follows:

Future Meetings

Following the successful “joint” approach future meetings will involve both the Cambridgeshire

Flood Risk Management Partnership (CFRMP) and Peterborough Flood & Water Management

Partnership (PFLoW). The MLC are stakeholders in both partnerships.

Draft National Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management (FCERM) Strategy for England

A public consultation on the draft FCERM Strategy for England document was held between May

and June.


Members of the partnership generally considered that amongst other matters the consultation

could have been more ambitious; sought greater RMA involvement; and that surface water flooding

should have been included.

Following the consideration of the responses it is intended to publish the final national FCERM

strategy for England in 2020.

Local FRM Strategy

Both the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Strategies are due to be reviewed soon and may be a

joint Cambridgeshire and Peterborough response.

The Environment Agency’s Joint Assurance Group

This group provides support to the RMAs on the delivery of Grant-in-Aid (GiA) funded projects and

meets on a monthly basis to discuss business cases.

Partnership members generally agreed that it would be beneficial to understand what the EA, in its

role as the approval body, would like to see in business cases and requested suitable good

examples that could be used as guidance.

The EA advised that:

(i) The lack of sharing of suitable business case examples may be for GDPR/commercially

sensitive/economic reasons and advised that whilst the EA cannot ‘circulate’ these,

other RMAs can.

(ii) Due to the specialist nature of projects within The Fens it may not be possible to find

enough suitable projects.

Property Flood Resilience Pathfinder Project

A £700k grant bid was made by a consortium of LLFAs. Confirmation of a successful bid is

awaited.

Further details on the project can be found in Flood Resilience Community Pathfinder Evaluation

Final Evaluation Report October 2015.

Further details can be found at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/29-million-extra-funding-to-boost-action-on-making-homes-more-

resilient-to-floods

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/29-million-extra-funding-to-boost-action-on-making-homes-more-resilient-to-floods

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/29-million-extra-funding-to-boost-action-on-making-homes-more-resilient-to-floods


Riparian Responsibilities

In order to raise awareness of and instigate discussion on an issue that causes difficulties for

RMAs, including the Boards, primarily due to increased workload and costs, the County Council’s

Flood Risk and Biodiversity Team prepared an “Issues and Options Briefing Note” seeking

changes to current practices that are inefficient and create inconsistency across the county in the

use of public resources to address the issues associated with riparian assets. The document is

currently being considered by the Regional Flood and Coastal Committee.

Cambs County Council Capitally Funded Highway Drainage Schemes

Schemes have been assessed and prioritised based upon level of flooding reported, ie high priority

is property flooding or risk to life, low priority is highway only flooding and will be developed to

provide estimated costs and prioritised to be delivered to available budget. There is an annual

highway drainage budget of £1m, which needs to cover all staff, investigation, design and

construction costs and, therefore, not all the schemes will be delivered in the current financial

year.

The majority of investigation and design is delivered through Skanska or its supply chain, and

managed by the County’s Highways Projects team. Priority and funding are confirmed by its Asset

Management team.

There are currently 22 schemes ongoing within the County, six of which are within the Fenland

district but none are within the Board’s area.

District Council Strategic Flood Risk Assessment (SFRA) & Water Cycle Study (WCS)

documents

Most of the SFRA and WCS documents are considered old and have not been updated as initially

intended. All will require reviewing as supporting evidence when the respective District Council’s

Local Plans are updated.

A ‘joint’ County-wide document was suggested but was not considered possible due to the differing

states of the various Local Plans across the County.

No reference was made to the funding arrangements for the provision of the updated documents.

Good Governance for Internal Drainage Board Members

In March and April 2019 ADA ran a series of five Good Governance Workshops for IDB Members.

The recordings from these events will be available as a series of training modules via the ADA

website later in 2019.


A copy of the slides used at the presentation can be found at the following link:

https://www.ada.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Good_Governance_Workshop_Slides_2019.pdf

Public Sector Co-operation Agreements (PSCA)

Following a problem encountered within North Level District IDB which required close liaison with

Peterborough City Council, in its role as the Highway Authority, the possibility of arranging PSCAs

with IDBs and Councils was raised but has not yet been concluded.

Updates on Highways England (HE) Scheme

The former areas 6 and 8 now form the East Region and the new term contractor is Ringway. The

previous short-term Asset Support Contracts (ASC) have been replaced by a 15-year Road

Investment Strategy (RIS) contract in order to ensure a consistent long-term approach.

Anglian Water Services Limited (AWSL) Price Review 2019 (PR19)

OFWAT like what is being proposed but not the associated costs. AWSL contends that it is trying

to be “proactive and not reactive”. Note: In order to reduce charges on its customers AWSL

currently appears reluctant to incur any unnecessary additional costs beyond what it is

obliged to accept.

Requests have been made for suitable applications to be submitted to its project funding

programme. It is hoped that a meeting with AWSL’s Flood Partnership Manager will be arranged

soon.

Fenland Flooding Issues Sub-group

Meetings were held in April and October, no new “wet spots” have been identified within the

Board’s district.

The next meeting is due to be held during April.

General Advice

Assistance has been given, on the Board’s behalf, in respect of the following:

a) An asset survey inspection of the Board’s structures on the Cranbrooke Drain was

undertaken with the District Officer at the request of the Environment Agency. These

included the syphon, an inlet structure at Holl Wood Farm (both operational) together

with a number of disused structures. A report has been sent to the Environment

Agency as requested. During the inspection it was noted that Holl Wood Farm Inlet

had a significant quantity of water running through it, either/both from a penstock not

closed properly or water running around the outside of the penstock. Consideration

https://www.ada.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/Good_Governance_Workshop_Slides_2019.pdf


should be given to repairing and modifying the structure to provide better control of

water flow and to improve its operation.

b) An application for byelaw consent received from Gowing Properties Developments for

the installation of a 32mm diameter water pipe alongside the Board’s main pump

drain was recommended for approval ‘in principle’ subject to agreeing the exact

positioning of the pipe.

Consulting Engineer

18 December 2019

S&M(350)\Reports\December 2019


The Chairman remarked that he had not invited an Engineer to the meeting as he felt that it

would be best to have his attendance at the inspection meeting in the summer.

The Chairman reported that the new pump had been fitted and was now working well. All

three pumps were now running satisfactorily and it was intended to retain the re-conditioned pump

in the event of future failure. It was also noted that there was a serviceable diesel pump for

standby. The diesel pump was tested on occasions to keep it in good working order.

The planning applications for new developments were noted.

RESOLVED

i) That the Report and the actions therein be approved

ii) Developments at Cromwell Community College, Wenny Road, Chatteris – Cromwell

Community College (MLC Ref Nos. 173, 186, 197 & 310)

Formation of an irrigation reservoir at Short North Fen Drove/Blabys Drove, Sutton –

P J Lee & Sons (MLC Ref Nos. 177, 182, 298 & 301)

Erection of an Anerobic Digester plant at Greys Farm, Iretons Way, Chatteris – Pretoria

Energy Ltd (MLC Ref Nos. 227, 231, 240,& 246), Little Green Consulting Ltd (MLC

Ref. 245) & Pretoria Energy Company (Mepal) Ltd (MLC Ref Nos. 305 & 309)

That the Planning Engineer write to all those concerned with these planning applications

to resolve the outstanding issues outlined by the Engineer.

(NB) - The Chairman declared an interest in the planning applications (MLC Ref. Nos. 179, 188,

199, 226, 228, 232 & 258) for R Latta (Farms) Ltd and (MLC Ref No. 320) for Mr Latta.

(NB) - The Vice Chairman declared an interest in planning applications (MLC Ref. Nos. 177, 182,

298, 301 & 315) for P J Lee & Sons and (MLC Ref Nos 227, 231, 240 & 246) for Pretoria Energy

Ltd and (MLC Ref Nos. 305 & 309) for Pretoria Energy Company (Mepal) Ltd.

(NB) – Messrs J & P Sole declared interests in planning applications (MLC Ref No. 091) for A Sole

& Son.

(NB) – Mr P Sole declared an interest in planning application (MLC Ref No. 319) for Mr P Sole.

(NB) – Mr M Jackson declared an interest in planning applications (MLC Ref No. 078) for Mr

Jackson, (MLC Ref No. 143) for Mr & Mrs Jackson, (MLC Ref No. 275) for Mrs Jackson and

(MLC Ref Nos. 164 & 318) for D M Jackson & Son.

B.2141 Conservation Officer’s Newsletter

Miss McShane referred to the Conservation Officer’s Newsletter, dated December 2019, which

had previously been circulated to members.


B.2142 Claims for Highland Water Contributions – Section 57 Land Drainage Act 1991

Miss McShane reported that the sum of £3,889.01 (inclusive of supervision) had been

received from the Environment Agency (£4,030.38 representing 80% of the Board's estimated

expenditure for the financial year 2019/2020 less £141.37 overpaid in respect of the financial year

2018/2019).

B.2143 Association of Drainage Authorities

Subscriptions

Miss McsShane reported that it was proposed by ADA to increase subscriptions by

approximately 2% in 2020, viz:- from £700 to £714.

RESOLVED

That the increased subscription be paid for 2020.

B.2144 Determination of annual values for rating purposes

The Board considered the recommendations for the determination of annual values for rating

purposes.

RESOLVED

i) That the determination recommended be adopted by the Board.

ii) That the Clerk be empowered to serve notices and to take such other action as may be

necessary to comply with statutory requirements.

iii) That the Chairman and the Clerk be empowered to authorise appropriate action on

behalf of the Board in connection with any appeal against the determination.

B.2145 Health and Safety

Further to minute B.2123, the Vice Chairman reported that, together with the Chairman and

the District Officer, he had met with Cope Safety Management on the 25th October 2019 and

referred to the report received from Cope Safety Management following this visit.

The Vice Chairman referred to various recommendations which were made in the report

which were generally all low risk items including a new first aid box, signage on doors and some

attention to rails and barriers where there was a slipping hazard. The other item which had been

raised by Cope Safety Management was an angle grinder which was no longer used and it was

recommended that this should be removed from the premises.

The Vice Chairman reported that a further visit had been arranged with Cope Safety

Management on the 25th February 2020.

RESOLVED

That the Vice Chairman attend to all the items recommended for action in the report.


B.2146 Completion of the Annual Accounts and Annual Return of the Board –

2018/2019

a) The Board considered the comments of the Auditors on the Annual Return for the year

ended on the 31st March 2019.

RESOLVED

i) That, after fully considering the internal controls put in place by their appointed

administrators and the checks carried out by their appointed internal auditors, the Board were

satisfied that, in all significant respects, the internal control objectives were being achieved

throughout the financial year to a standard adequate to meet the needs of the authority.

ii) That the present policies concerning risk management, budget monitoring and insured

value of properties are adequate for the size of the business and that they be continued.

iii) That the Clerk and responsible financial officer review the internal audit strategy with

the internal auditor to ensure the most appropriate method is in place to ensure the Board

continue to comply with the Internal control objectives to a standard adequate to meet the

needs of the authority.

b) The Board considered and approved the Audit Report of the Internal Auditor for the year

ended on the 31st March 2019.

B.2147 Low Level Restoration at Block Fen Account (Redland Aggregates Ltd)

The Board discussed a previous payment that had been made from Lafarge for Block Fen and

asked the Middle Level Commissioners’ Treasurer to advise the Chairman whether this sum of

money had been ring-fenced or could it be used for other purposes.

RESOLVED

That this matter be an agenda for the next meeting of the Board.

B.2148 Defra IDB1 Returns

Miss McShane referred to the completed IDB1 form for 2018/2019 and to the letter from the

Minister and Annual report summary and analysis received from Defra dated August 2019, which

the Board noted and approved.

B.2149 Expenditure/ Estimate Update

The Board considered the Estimate Update for 2019/2020.

RESOLVED

That the update be approved.


B.2150 Date of next Meeting

Miss McShane reminded Members that the next Meeting of the Board will be held on Tuesday

the 2nd June 2020, prior to which the District Inspection will be held.

The District Inspection to be held at 9.00am; arrangements be made to meet at the Bridge

Farm Office, with the meeting to follow at the Chatteris Cricket Club at 10.30am. The Consulting

Engineer be requested to attend.

B.2151 Agenda items for next meeting of the Board

The Chairman requested that the following matters be included as agenda items for the next

meeting of the Board, viz:-

i) The Board to consider whether they want to have a meal at future meeting.

ii) Mr William Veal – Compensation needs to be paid for deposit of soil on his land

This had been previously agreed by the Board but to date no payment had been made. Could

this be investigated and payment made.

iii) Meter Readings Lafarge and Tarmac

The Chairman reported that meter readings had been provided for Lafarge and Tarmac and he

would like confirmation at the next meeting that these had been invoiced and paid.

B.2152 Hall Farm

It was noted that work had been carried out to the trees at Hall Farm.