I WRITE on behalf of the Adelaide Street Allotment Association to protest against the contempt with which the Environment Agency regards our members.

We all agree that houses in our area need protection from flooding, but it should not be at the expense of our allotments.

The original plans to construct defences around the back of the allotments would have given us their protection.

The revised plans due to be submitted to the council shortly for approval, include a wall to be built along the front perimeter of the allotment with floodgates.

At a recent drop-in event they tried to convince us that the risk of flooding is minimal, yet the aim of the wall is to protect houses. The allotments at St Adrian’s Road have been given adequate protection, so why not us? If our allotments were houses there would have been a completely different flood defence plan.

We have been given four different dates for this work to start: October 2021, January/February 2022, October 2022, January 9 2023, and the latest date June 2023, right in the middle of our growing season.

We need to make alternative plans to accommodate our members whose plots will be affected, yet they expect us to wait until they appoint contractors in late May.

They are even unwilling to give a guarantee that temporary access will be provided for all our members for the duration of the works.

They have stated in a letter dated March 2021 and a newsletter dated 2021 that they plan to avoid detriment and provide betterment. We, however, foresee lots of detriment but no evidence of betterment.

Our members and nearby residents are asking as many questions which they seem to expect us to answer on their behalf, despite a public consultation held on February 15, which we believe was poorly publicised.

In January they sent us details of these plans but asked us to keep it secret from our members, claiming that is was for our own protection.

We have read that the Carlisle Flood Action Group have passed a vote of no confidence in the Environment Agency. We fully understand why.

Stephen Atkinson
Acting Secretary, Adelaide Street Allotment Association