DEVELOPMENT of a massive new Persimmon housing estate in Lydney should be stopped immediately until issues with drainage there has been resolved, say two Forest of Dean District councillors.

The two councillors and one former Lydney Town councillor, were left ‘soaked to the skin’ as they battled with residents to stop flood water flowing through their gardens and homes on Sunday at the height of Storm Ciara.Update: The Forest of Dean District Council issued a statement on Wednesday AM about the situation after the Forester had gone to press.It reads: "Forest of Dean District council are aware of the drainage difficulties relating to a housing development near to Lakeside Avenue, Lydney. "Over the last 12 months we have been working with Persimmon Homes to try to ensure that adequate measures/drainage are installed during the construction phase to mitigate the effects of surface water flooding primarily caused by the large area of land stripped of topsoil for the archaeological investigations. "Those measures include a filter drain, attenuation trenches and detention ponds. The detailed plans for the permanent surface water drainage system (as a development is over nine dwellings and therefore classed as a major development), have been scrutinised and approved by the County Council flood risk management team. "To our knowledge, no existing houses have flooded internally from the frequent surface water flooding experienced but the frequent incidents have caused some considerable concern and damage to outbuildings and fish ponds."Going forward, all major developments in the Forest of Dean district that are classed as being on sites susceptible to causing surface water flooding will be required to produce construction phase surface water management plans."

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