Appleby Cricket Club has been “hit for six” by an Eden Council decision to green light the construction of a compound next to its ground for the town’s controversial flood risk management scheme.
A stumped Ernie Brabbins, chairman of the club, said he was both “appalled and disappointed” that the application had been approved under officer delegated powers, rather than being debated by Eden’s planning committee.
Mr Brabbins had written to the district council’s planning department and had a response telling him that they would inform him when the committee details were known.
There were 14 objectors, including Appleby Cricket Club, to the Environment Agency’s application for the temporary compound, which will house an office and welfare cabin plus staff parking associated with the Appleby flood risk management scheme.
However, Appleby Town Council had no objection to the scheme, and Mr Brabbins said he felt that was a significant reason why Eden decided to go down the delegated authority route, rather than the plan going to the committee.
“I was totally shocked because we had correspondence sent at the end of January, early February, to say it was too late to go to the February meeting,” said Mr Brabbins who was under the impression it would therefore go automatically to the March meeting on Thursday.
When applications are dealt with by delegated powers, objectors do not have an opportunity to address the planning committee.
Mr Brabbins said: “Once everything is in place they are going to put some terram down — black felty stuff which stops weeds coming through — and top dress it with eight inches of stone.
“But where they are planning this compound is part of the flood defence of Appleby. When the River Eden floods, it floods all over this area.
“What happens if that eight inches of stone gets washed onto the cricket ground?”
The Environment Agency representative to whom Mr Brabbins spoke said if that were to happen, they would put it right, but concerns remain.
Mr Brabbins said the ground was wrecked by flooding in 2015. While the club was away from its Appleby home, members “worked their socks off” to keep it going, just managing to hang on by their fingertips until eventually returning in 2019.
“Since then, we have grown from strength to strength,” he said.
Sharon Kennedy, Cumbria flood risk manager for the Environment Agency said: “We are due to start our works in autumn, 2023. Our work is planned so that we can avoid any construction works in the summer 2023 period and maintain the use of Broad Close car park.
“By moving the start date to autumn 2023, we have reduced the impact on the town of construction works taking place over two summers to one. We will also host a drop-in event for residents and business owners on Monday, 3rd April from 2-7pm in Appleby public hall. We are developing a designated website page on The Flood Hub for Appleby.”
An EDC spokesman said: “The planning application for the Appleby flood works compound was determined under powers delegated to the assistant director in accordance with Eden’s recently adopted constitution … the constitution allowed for a determination to be made in this manner, and without referral to the planning committee.”
Key to the decision was that the application did not clash with the development plan; the council was not the applicant; there were no outstanding objections from statutory consultees; there were no specific requests to speak at the planning committee stated in objections received, and the town council did not object to the application.
