Residents fear homes will cause flooding in Seaton

The council is currently consulting on drainage at the proposed site, under application 2/2018/0493. If approved, the site would have a 100-home estate built behind the former British Legion building.

When the development was first suggested, residents formed a group ­— the Low Seaton anti-development group ­— which opposed the development because of issues including flooding and drainage at the site.

Now villagers are saying they are finding it difficult to respond to the latest consultation as they can not access the digital application on the planning portal.

Seaton Parish Council chairman and Allerdale councillor Danny Horsley said residents have told him they have been unable to put their concerns on to the council’s planning portal, due to technical issues.

He said: “A lot of people are having trouble getting on to the Allerdale website. It’s on one day and off the next. I have informed Simon Sharp at the council yesterday. He said yes there are problems with the system and for every day they can’t get on the system the consultation will be extended.”

He added that he had walked to the proposed site and witnessed the water gushing and the drains not coping. He said: “I walked down at 10.30pm on January 19 and you could clearly hear the water gushing from the field and across the road. Half the road was flooded, but the drain on the road was taking it, but where the water should have been going, the drain wasn’t taking it. The pipes were damaged when the building was demolished.

“There is far too much water flow going down the field to the old Copsey site. The cellar in the Legion used to flood and then blow the manhole cover off as it can’t handle the water. The drainage can not cope. If there is a bigger drainage system, there will be more pressure on Gale Brooke and more problems further down stream.” Residents took to Seaton Facebook pages to express concerns about the risk of flooding at the site.