This isn’t going to plan!
This isn’t going to plan!
Unfortunately, we haven’t been able to allay the worries or overcome the objection over tea and cake and the whole thing seems to rest upon their objection and the Environment Agency lifting their opposition to their revised Flood Risk Assessment. We have included a clause in the planning detailing how to get to higher ground in the event of a flood (walk out and then walk left, if you get wet feet, walk right instead) but we aren’t sure if that will be enough.
It’s now that I’m starting to wonder if a higher power is looking out for us. I’m not a superstitious person but it is an old church hall after all and just as we need proof the flood risk might be lower than the Environment Agencies projections infer, the area is subjected to a 1 in 100yrs storm. News comes in of bridges being washed away, roads flooding, houses ruined and lives interrupted. A few days later Rachel and her dad Gary are up at the hall to inspect the damage, take photos and potentially provide some evidence for the insurance people.
When they pass through Long Preston on the way, fields are flooded as far as the eye can see and fields which would normally be green are a shimmering blue, reflecting the sky above with animals crowding around the few dry edges. As they arrive at the hall, it’s clear there has been a lot of rain and the stream has a line of settled debris where the water level came to but the water level is back to its normal height. The road looks dry and once inside, you can see the hall had some water coming in, but it’s all from the gaping hole in the roof, not from flooding. It looks like the field behind has soaked up whatever was being thrown at it. I can hear the relief in their voices when they ring me with the news.
It’s another week on but we hear that the application hasn’t been approved or rejected instead, it’s now being put forward to a panel of local councillors and planning officers in Skipton to discuss the pros and cons.
I’m going to need to put something together for this and make sure I can get the time off work. I can imagine not turning up is a sure-fire way to make sure your application ends up in the ‘reject’ box, so I’ll need to make sure I’m prepared.
In totally unrelated news, it looks like the degree has got off to a pretty good start as I’ve just got another ‘Outstanding’ grade of 76% for my second bit of coursework. For the casual observer, I might look like I’ve got this under control but I can’t recall a time outside of a delivery room when I’ve been more worried!
