City of Doncaster Council has refused planning permission for 31 park homes on a field near Thorne deemed "highly vulnerable" to flooding.
WPS Developments had sought approval to build single-storey lodges and a social hub on the site. The application would have required the land to be switched from agricultural to residential use.
Flood Risk Concerns
The council's planning development manager, Emma Keefe, told councillors that the Environment Agency's objections could not be overridden by assertion alone. She said "coulds, woulds and probablies" were not suitable evidence to challenge the flood risk assessment.
The site is split between flood zone one — land with low probability of flooding — and flood zone three, which indicates higher probability of flooding. The majority of the planned homes would have been located in the higher-risk zone three area.
Developer's Challenge
WPS Developments had argued that recent changes to flood zone maps were "inaccurate". Lea Favill, speaking in support of the application, told councillors he would be "absolutely amazed if this site floods" and suggested the flood maps appeared "very unrealistic" compared to surrounding areas including a nearby canal and marina.
Councillors voted by majority to refuse the application, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
