Oakley Green, Fifield and District Community Association Ltd
Environment
Drainage update 16 - 16.01.2014
Despite frequent requests for a scheduled date for the work to be done at “Wet Spot” number 2 at the speed bump on Fifield Road all we have managed to get is “by the end of the year”. We were told this project is now in the hands of the Capital Works Delivery Team who had only received a response from one of the landowners involved.

We were under the impression that it was precisely this inability to get a response, and also because there was no effective RBWM Legal Department able to pursue the issue anyway, which led to the application for Capital Funding. Trying to speed things up we contacted one of the Landowners who said they had received no correspondence at all, either recently or in previous years. Maybe somebody who doesn’t own the field in question has been receiving confusing correspondence off and on for the last 3 years or more ... possibly.

We immediately supplied contact details to the Landowner’s representative who within an hour emailed Streetcare to make themselves known and provide full contact information. Streetcare confirm that the Capital Works Delivery Team are now in contact with both Landowners and that there is no further obstacle to the completion of this project.

Earlier this year at “Wet Spot” number 4 (Coningsby Lane east) a Landowner carried out some clearance of undergrowth at the beginning of the footpath heading north. It is now quite clear that there was once a ditch along this route. We will now be inviting estimates for the work which needs to be done to re-establish this drainage route. We will then have the necessary information to consider how we raise the funding needed.

Encouragingly, a Press release from RBWM on November 29th not only mentioned the work to be done on Fifield Road but also stated “... on the programme is a detailed assessment of the condition of the Horton Drain and Wraysbury Drain and a study of flooding issues in the Fifield area. A budget of £30,000 has been identified for any urgent works identified by these studies.”

Maybe we can hope that the remaining items on our “wet spots” list will now finally be taken seriously.

View the full Press Release

On Saturday January 4th , Fifield was flooded. There are many photos. All the usual wet spots were involved ... Oakley Green Rd at the Cricket Club, Forest Green Rd at the junction with Coningsby Lane, Coningsby Lane flowing into the Fifield Rd and over the top of the speed bump near Longlea Nursing Home. There was also flooding at the The Greene Oak at the junction of Dedworth Rd and Oakley Green Rd and the Cardinal Clinic was innundated, with several inches of water in the ground floor of one of the buildings. But the worst location threatening several households was on Fifield Rd just south of Stewart Close in the area of Pond Cottage. Residents here built barriers and deployed pumps in an effort to defend their houses.

One resident said it wasn’t quite as bad as it was during 2003-2004. But it was certainly bad enough ! This particular spot needs now to take priority and we have delivered letters to the residents in that area asking for information on how the situation develops, where they have been pumping to and where that flows to, etc.

We have been patient for nearly 5 years now and it seems that this approach is not achieving what’s needed. It’s time to step up the pressure into the political arena and start to make a lot more noise. We will keep you informed as this moves forward and hope we have your support. A healthy membership list will provide credibility and a mandate for these efforts, so please renew your membership in March or join us if you have not already.