From NOT A LOT OF PEOPLE KNOW THAT

By Paul Homewood

Steven Bennett left this comment on the Welsh rainfall post today:

Building on flood plains is now nothing less than a national scandal. According to Kerseys Solicitors:

As there is growing pressure to find sites for housing, flood plain land is some of the cheapest available to developers.

A flood plain is an area of flat land near a river, stream, lake or other open waterway that is subject to flooding when there is significant rainfall.

Despite warnings from the Environment Agency and the Committee on Climate Change (CCC) between 2001 and 2011, 200,000 new houses were built on the flood plain and there are almost 500,000 homes that have been given planning permission and are waiting to be built on the flood plain.

200,000 in ten years is an astonishing number, given we probably did not build much more a million new homes in that time. Many of those 500,000 in planning will doubtlessly have been built since Kerseys report.

Moreover, developers are still allowed to build on flood plains in low and medium risk zones, as long as they do “flood risk assessments”.

Not only do houses on flood plains flood (!), but the concreting over of large housing estates means that vast amounts of water get washed straight down drains and into rivers at great speed. Flood plains are no longer able to fulfil their function of storing water, which prevents flooding down stream.

Over Monnow has been well known as a flood plain for years and is marked by the area in red, where flood warnings were issued for during Storm Claudia:

Most of Over Monnow sits at an altitude of 20m, the same as the river bank next to the bridge:

According to Grok:

New Housing Estates in Over Monnow, Monmouth, Since 2000

Over Monnow (often referred to as Wyesham in planning documents) is a residential area north of the River Monnow in Monmouth, Monmouthshire, Wales (postcode NP25). This ward, part of the broader Monmouth town area, has seen steady residential development since 2000, driven by Monmouthshire County Council’s Local Development Plans. Developments have focused on family homes, affordable housing, and infill sites, with some delays due to environmental concerns like phosphate levels in the Rivers Wye and Usk until upgrades to local wastewater facilities were completed around 2024–2025.

Key drivers include:

• The 2013–2022 Local Development Plan, which allocated sites for ~450 homes on Wonastow Road (phased builds starting mid-2010s).
• The emerging Replacement Local Development Plan (RLDP) to 2033, emphasizing 50% affordable housing and net-zero standards, building on ~3,700 homes completed or in pipeline since 2018 county-wide (with a portion in Over Monnow).

Below is a summary of major housing estates/developments built (or substantially completed) since 2000 in Over Monnow. This is based on planning records, council reports, and developer announcements. Note: “Estates” here refers to planned residential developments of 10+ homes; smaller infills are noted where relevant. Ongoing/planned sites are included for context, as some phases span into 2025.

Notice the reference to Watery Lane! I wonder why it is called that?

Kingswood Gate sits at the same 20m altitude as the rest of Over Monnow. All the rain that fell there had nowhere else to go but down the drains and into the Monnow that had already burst its banks. It has nowhere else to go.

A slightly wider view of the land around Monmouth makes clear that most of old Monmouth was built a few meters above river level – the paler blues and greens. (The 20m point, by the way, marks the new Kingswood estate. Many of the houses to the east have obviously been built in recent decades as well, judging from Google view)

The main exception were a few  riverside streets. You don’t have to be a genius to work out where the water goes when the Wye and Monnow burst their banks.

It has got nothing to do with climate change; it is a matter of geography.