Angry mum: 'The Rye's a nightmare as soon as we get rain'

9:07am Friday 9th November 2012 in News

The Rye last weekend The Rye last weekend

AN angry mum believes a council is ruining The Rye after heavy rainfall left areas including paths and the playground flooded.

Marie Phillips says The Rye, which has a Green Flag award, transforms from a park to be proud of to a parent’s nightmare when the rain comes down.

The 34-year-old, who regularly takes her two-year-old son there to play, believes Wycombe District Council needs to do more to ensure its jewel in the crown is usable all year round.

She said: “As soon as we get any rain, it’s a nightmare. The park floods all around the children’s playground, and across the paths you use to get there.

“This time the playground itself got flooded too. You see mums battling to push their pushchairs through the mud to get there.

“The park is supposed to be there to encourage healthy living, but for lots of people it’s actually quite hard to use as soon as there’s a bit of rain.”

WDC said The Rye is a designated floodzone and the area by the playground was selected by the Environment Agency to hold excess water that drains away from the centre of the land that houses a raft of new football pitches.

Cllr Katrina Wood, Cabinet member for Community, said: “The river rising and heavy rain both contribute to the standing water by the play area.

“The ground in front of the changing room buildings is also a flood relief area and fills with water very quickly during times of flash flooding.

“Excess water exits The Rye via the flood relief grill near Bassetsbury Manor and this grill was checked on Monday to ensure it was free of obstruction.

“The flooding and drainage issues are not as a result of the new football pitches. The ground next to the play area is a designated flood zone, and is expected to hold the excess water when necessary.

“There are no plans to do any work to prevent the flooding, but WDC will continue to monitor the flood grill to ensure it remains clear.”

But Mrs Phillips believes the floodzone should be re-evaluated as, while the drainage system may help the district’s footballers, it is preventing young families from being able to enjoy The Rye.

She said: “It actually disadvantages the children and I don’t think that’s acceptable just for the football pitches. It’s such a shame because it’s a really nice park we have here, and this flooding really spoils it.”

Comments (13)

9:36am Fri 9 Nov 12

Welwyn Dowd says...

A raft of pitches? Very apt description.
A raft of pitches? Very apt description. Welwyn Dowd

9:45am Fri 9 Nov 12

Stalemate says...

Well done for raising this mum......

Fact1: WDC decided a change of use for The Rye without public consultation.
Fact2: WDC implemented a flood strategy that gives playing pitches preference over public play areas.
Fact3: Supposed "once in a lifetime" flooding scenarios are in fact a regular seasonal feature of our weather.
Fact4: Our free to use public play areas are rendered unusable for a substantial portion of the calendar year.
Fact5: WDC planned all along to monetise The Rye with pay per play pitch areas and rid the area of freeloading playground users.
Fact6: WDC are a bunch of lying t@ssers.
Well done for raising this mum...... Fact1: WDC decided a change of use for The Rye without public consultation. Fact2: WDC implemented a flood strategy that gives playing pitches preference over public play areas. Fact3: Supposed "once in a lifetime" flooding scenarios are in fact a regular seasonal feature of our weather. Fact4: Our free to use public play areas are rendered unusable for a substantial portion of the calendar year. Fact5: WDC planned all along to monetise The Rye with pay per play pitch areas and rid the area of freeloading playground users. Fact6: WDC are a bunch of lying t@ssers. Stalemate

11:41am Fri 9 Nov 12

hm1 says...

I'd rather have the waters on the Rye than in my house.
I'd rather have the waters on the Rye than in my house. hm1

12:02pm Fri 9 Nov 12

Stalemate says...

The Rye is not alleviating flood risk from a residential area!

What we are talking of here is the movement of water from one section of The Rye to another.
The Rye is not alleviating flood risk from a residential area! What we are talking of here is the movement of water from one section of The Rye to another. Stalemate

12:15pm Fri 9 Nov 12

Tharus Bond says...

what do you expect when a river runs right past the rye.
and think of the ducks!

I think that is probably one of the reasons they have planted extra trees in that area.
what do you expect when a river runs right past the rye. and think of the ducks! I think that is probably one of the reasons they have planted extra trees in that area. Tharus Bond

6:12pm Fri 9 Nov 12

hm1 says...

Fabulous lack of logic outlined above in respect to how flood alleviation schemes work. Perhaps we can get someone from the Environment Agency to outline how it works, in small words. I used to work there, can give you some names.
Fabulous lack of logic outlined above in respect to how flood alleviation schemes work. Perhaps we can get someone from the Environment Agency to outline how it works, in small words. I used to work there, can give you some names. hm1

8:43pm Fri 9 Nov 12

YorksDavey says...

Should just move the play area nearer the big kids play area. Therefore near the cafe and ice cream van for convenience and away from the main flood plain... and the local drunks that hang around the part of the Rye. (not park btw, just Rye)
http://petergoodearl
.co.uk/ken/hayward/h
ayward.htm
Should just move the play area nearer the big kids play area. Therefore near the cafe and ice cream van for convenience and away from the main flood plain... and the local drunks that hang around the part of the Rye. (not park btw, just Rye) http://petergoodearl .co.uk/ken/hayward/h ayward.htm YorksDavey

10:55pm Fri 9 Nov 12

john_b says...

The Rye is a flood plain - it is doing its job really. Also, I have seen kids having great fun playing in the puddles - put some wellies on and get involved!
That was a joke, of course... the bit about the wellies... not that the Rye is a flood plain. :-)
The Rye is a flood plain - it is doing its job really. Also, I have seen kids having great fun playing in the puddles - put some wellies on and get involved! That was a joke, of course... the bit about the wellies... not that the Rye is a flood plain. :-) john_b

11:47pm Fri 9 Nov 12

KrisChaplin says...

News Flash: Wycombe Marsh is wet at times.
News Flash: Wycombe Marsh is wet at times. KrisChaplin

7:43am Sat 10 Nov 12

Stalemate says...

Any reasonably regular user of the Rye will acknowledge that the play area is inundated more often and for longer periods since the pitch area was implemented. WDC knew that the change of use would cause this.

Yes, it is a flood plain and wet at times however WDC chose how the water is dispersed.
Any reasonably regular user of the Rye will acknowledge that the play area is inundated more often and for longer periods since the pitch area was implemented. WDC knew that the change of use would cause this. Yes, it is a flood plain and wet at times however WDC chose how the water is dispersed. Stalemate

10:12am Sat 10 Nov 12

RogerC says...

Walked through the Rye last Sunday, with water still flowing very fast through the playground. Came across a guy from the Pannmill society clearing the weeds that choke the river. At to point where most of the water leaves the river bed, the weeds have reduced the width to about 18" (40CM), making the water back-up and flood out of the millpond.

The question is... who is responsible for keeping the river clear of weeds? WDC or the NRA?

I also saw the council men clearing leaves from the flood relief grill on Monday, and it must have been doing a good job, as there wasn't a puddle in sight!

This has nothing to do with the football pitches, blocked flood relief grills or anything else. Flooding would happen a lot less if the weeds where kept under control.

A stitch in time......
Walked through the Rye last Sunday, with water still flowing very fast through the playground. Came across a guy from the Pannmill society clearing the weeds that choke the river. At to point where most of the water leaves the river bed, the weeds have reduced the width to about 18" (40CM), making the water back-up and flood out of the millpond. The question is... who is responsible for keeping the river clear of weeds? WDC or the NRA? I also saw the council men clearing leaves from the flood relief grill on Monday, and it must have been doing a good job, as there wasn't a puddle in sight! This has nothing to do with the football pitches, blocked flood relief grills or anything else. Flooding would happen a lot less if the weeds where kept under control. A stitch in time...... RogerC

7:54am Mon 12 Nov 12

williamjames says...

It rains, the water goes into the aquifers and the level of ground water rises. When it reaches the surface there is flooding. Funny thing nature!
A quick look at the local geography will show that a large part of the Rye is below the water level in the Wye and the Dyke, When the river is in flood is it any wonder that there is a rise in the water table and hence flooding.
The situation is not helped because of the lack of abstraction of water for the town from the boreholes at the west end of the Rye because of polution caused by a chemical spill.
Is it WDC or the owner of the vehicle that caused the spill to blame for the apparent increase in flooding? Or is it because we have had one of the wettest summers for a long time?
It rains, the water goes into the aquifers and the level of ground water rises. When it reaches the surface there is flooding. Funny thing nature! A quick look at the local geography will show that a large part of the Rye is below the water level in the Wye and the Dyke, When the river is in flood is it any wonder that there is a rise in the water table and hence flooding. The situation is not helped because of the lack of abstraction of water for the town from the boreholes at the west end of the Rye because of polution caused by a chemical spill. Is it WDC or the owner of the vehicle that caused the spill to blame for the apparent increase in flooding? Or is it because we have had one of the wettest summers for a long time? williamjames

12:49pm Mon 12 Nov 12

Brian JM says...

The coincidence of this story with the riverside path at Marlow is interesting. There the deputy mayor has got the county council involved who are taking responsibility. Here the district is in charge, and claim it was designed that way. Seems like question of governance.
The coincidence of this story with the riverside path at Marlow is interesting. There the deputy mayor has got the county council involved who are taking responsibility. Here the district is in charge, and claim it was designed that way. Seems like question of governance. Brian JM

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