Flooding fears for Aldermaston (From Basingstoke Gazette)

Flooding fears for Aldermaston

5:00pm Saturday 4th August 2012 in News By Helen Morton

A PROFESSOR of geology has raised concerns about flooding in Aldermaston if a controversial planning application is approved.

Plans to turn land at Lower Wasing Farm, Wasing Lane, into a quarry could exacerbate flooding which has become increasingly common in the area, Professor Max Dobson, a fellow of the Geological Society, has warned.

A planning application has been lodged with West Berkshire Council to extract sand and gravel from the site over at least 16 years.

In a letter to the council, Professor Dobson, of Station Road, Aldermaston, said that over 35 years, he and others had monitored flooding in the Aldermaston and the Kennet valley.

He said: “This hazard has perceptibly worsened over the last decade. I, therefore, view with alarm any further development that will directly impact on groundwater dynamics and exacerbate flooding risk further without a full computer-based risk assessment.”

The Environment Agency has already raised concerns about inadequacies of the flood risk assessment.

The planning application has been lodged by Lafarge Aggregates Ltd. Representatives from the company attended a village meeting about the plans last month and gave a short presentation on their proposal.

Aldermaston Parish Council is objecting, on the grounds of traffic, adverse visual and noise impact, impact on previous gravel operations, flooding and subterranean water flows, and unproven demand