Those who have lived in Coggeshall for a number of years will remember flooding that has taken place, affecting properties along Bridge Street, West Street and East Street. This doesn’t happen every year and the Environment Agency previously said it wasn’t such a risk as to require any flood prevention scheme. However, a couple of years ago they changed their mind after the company behind the local quarry got in touch to offer to provide a scheme, as long as they could quarry the land right up to the river in Coggeshall. This would involve digging up 155ha of land between the River Blackwater and Cuthedge Lane.
This scheme will take 20 years to deliver, see a huge dam created within our parish and will ruin the local landscape as it is dug up. The only reason this is being proposed is because of the involvement of the flood prevention scheme, which affects a limited number of homes. While that impact is still significant, it is telling that many of the people living in homes that are affected, do not want this work to go ahead. The main reason often cited is because the solution is so disproportionate to the problem they are trying to fix and the impact of the new scheme will be much greater than any flooding.
There is a local community group, CRAQ (Coggeshall Residents Against the Quarry), which is leading the campaign against the new quarry extension and dam that are part of this flood prevention work. They are seeking views of local residents on the plans to try to demonstrate what people really think about it.
Head to their website to provide your response and help them stop the 20 year devastation of our local environment: https://www.craq.org.uk/quick-survey.html. It takes two minutes to complete so provide your response today!