Weir not amused

Row over plans to solve playing field flooding

ANGRY members of the Greenfield and Grasscroft Residents’ Association have hit out at a decision to sideline its proposal to remove the weir next to Churchill Playing Fields.

The decision was taken by Saddleworth and Lees District Partnership and its chairman, Councillor Barbara Beeley, says that costs could have spiralled had the prospect been explored.

The partnership, made up of local councillors, council officers and local representatives, recently pledged £50,000 of its budget towards an overhaul and redesign of the fields that could total £300,000.

Residents’ association secretary, Mike Rooke, says that only the effect of the flooding problem on the often waterlogged field is being addressed, and not the cause.

He said: “Our suggestion has simply been parked. The water is flowing higher than it should be.

“Taking out the weir would be cheaper than spending all that money, when flooding could still happen. We were really disappointed not to be invited to the sub-group to discuss the drainage solutions.

“This is not the way community life should work.”

The residents’ association boasts membership of almost 500, but said it had not been consulted.

Councillor Beeley, who is also chairman of the sub-group, said: “We explored the idea with the council’s environmental agency and found that it would cost between £40,000 and £60,000 just to do the study.

“Even then there was no guarantee that removing the weir would have any effect.

“Churchill is a floodplain and the drains have been impacted a lot over the years, which stops them from working properly — that is one of the causes.

“We hope the new scheme to improve the drainage will make a dramatic difference.”