MP hails action on Parkside Road flooding

Local MP Tim Farron has hailed a 'major step forward' in the campaign to deal with the long running flooding issues by the railway bridge at Parkside Road in Kendal. Tim has praised local campaigner Chris Hogg and councillors Clare Feeney-Johnson and Shirley Evans for leading the community campaign to fix the flooding.

The area around the bridge floods every time it rains and has been a long running issue for local residents. A campaign was started in February by Valley Drive resident Chris Hogg, who created a petition that he was taking door to door and asking residents to sign. He had also set up a Facebook group, which can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1526380757588034/

Cumbria County Council have now said that they will build a barrier to prevent the earth soil being washed from the gardens on the far side of the bridge (this is the sludge that is filling up the drains, making it hard for the water to soak down). In addition, they will put in a new soak away at the far side (Larch Grove side) of the bridge and flush out/clean/refresh the two soak aways on the green field site (Valley Drive side of the bridge).

Funding is in the budget to cover the costs of the project and permissions from the land owners is now being sought.

Chris Hogg said: "I am delighted for all the residents that have spoken to me about this issue, signed the petition and joined the Facebook group to fix this problem. I hope this will prove to be a permanent solution to a problem which has been occurring for many years."

Councillor Clare Feeney Johnson added: "This has been a difficult problem to solve, but I now feel like we have taken a step forward in the right direction. It will take time for all the permissions to be in place & the work to be completed, but with the support of the local community I will continue to push forward."

Tim further added: "The area around the bridge floods every time it rains. It's troublesome for cyclists, people walking to work and dog walkers. This campaign is a positive call for action and I want to thank councillors like Shirley Evans, Clare Feeney-Johnson and local residents like Chris Hogg for working together and moving us a major step forward to fixing the flooding issues."