Land controversially earmarked for the Wincheap park and ride expansion in Canterbury was submerged under water this weekend after the Stour broke its banks.

Campaigners say the divisive project, which would see the car park enlarge by 228 spaces, should be ditched as a result of inevitable floods that will force the site to be out of action.

The flooded meadows

But Canterbury City Council still wants to press ahead with the project and admits flooding will be part and parcel of building a car park beside a river.

Authority spokesman Rob Davies said: “It was made clear in the planning committee report that part of the site of the park and ride extension is within the flood zone.

“In the same way as part of the Sainsbury’s car park and the coach park at Kingsmead flood from time to time, the lowest section of the park and ride site particularly in the north west corner, covering around 50 spaces, will also flood at certain times of the year.

“All of these issues have been properly considered and the loss of this relatively small number of spaces is certainly not a reason to abandon the whole project.

“It should also be stressed that the internal road linking the western section to the eastern section, which is the main parking area, is higher, meaning access to all these spaces would still be available even at the high water levels seen over the weekend.”

The Wincheap park and ride plan

The car park expansion scheme was rubber-stamped by the planning committee in the autumn, but full council deferred making a final decision on the plans until next year.

Hundreds of opponents have hit out at the project due to the proposed destruction of meadows, and they have now added this weekend’s flooding to their ammunition.

Professor Richard Norman said: “If the land was now a car park, it would be unusable.

“The heavy rain last week which caused the flooding is by no means unprecedented.

“The planning proposals referred to a one-in-20-year flood risk - experience suggests the flooding we have seen this weekend would be much more frequent than that.

"Predictions for climate change show that flooding events in this country are likely to increase in frequency and severity.

The current car park is set to be expanded

Dozens of campaigners previously took part in a protest at the site

“Virtually the whole of the park and ride extension would therefore have been out of action.

"As is recognised in the Local Plan, strategies to improve climate resilience necessitate the avoidance of development on functional floodplains.

“Good reason, we suggest, to rethink the plan to locate the park and ride on this site.”

Meanwhile, the Conservative parliamentary candidate Anna Firth has weighed in on the issue this week.

She is calling on the Tory-run council to carry out a formal review of the plans and says campaigners have made “compelling” cases against the proposals.

Ms Firth added: Given the considerable local concern, the unique and precious nature of the water meadows coupled with the fact that the council has declared a climate change emergency, I believe a formal and urgent review of the proposed changes is imperative.

"Although this is a city council decision and would not be in my remit if I were fortunate enough to be elected as MP for Canterbury, I can assure you that I will always be on the side of local people whose hopes and desires should always come first.

"If necessary, that includes challenging my colleagues at the council to provide residents with the support they need."

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