Flood work at Feniton scheduled

Rail line will shut for a week

Work on flood preventions to protect 65 homes in Feniton in East Devon will begin again in September after being delayed because of the pandemic and funding issues.

An under-track rail crossing which forms phase three of the Feniton Flood Alleviation Scheme. The first two of four phases have already been completed.

It will involve 24-hour working near to the village for a week.

The nearby Waterloo rail line is already due to have work in the week of 16 September, and the Feniton construction will coincide with it. Pre-crossing works are likely to begin in early September, and post construction works will continue until the end of the month.

Phase three involves creating a small compound to the east of Green Lane, so manhole chambers can be put in on either side of the railway. Once the railway line is closed to rail traffic, a section of rails and trackbed will be removed, and a trench made for a new pipeline.

This will then be backfilled before the track bed is re-laid and rails are reinstalled.

Feniton’s Flood Alleviation Scheme is designed to take flood water from the north of the village, via a culverted pipeline around the village and back into the stream south of Feniton.

Downstream channel improvements to properties south of Feniton and in Gosford have already been delivered as part of phase one and two, however their performance will be further investigated as part of the ongoing works. 

Once the under track rail crossing is complete, it will allow phase four to begin: a 900-metre long, 1.05-metre diameter culverted pipeline running from Station Road, via phase three’s works to Ottery Road.

Depending on contractor availability, the council aims to start construction of phase four in spring 2023.

Councillor Geoff Jung, EDDC's portfolio holder for coast, country and environment, said: "At long last the saga of this long-awaited scheme to alleviate the surface water flooding at Feniton seems to be nearly over. I am sure the long-suffering residents who will shortly be able to sleep a little more soundly when there is a storm, and no need to clamber out of bed to act as volunteer flood wardens."

EDDC's Feniton ward councillor Alasdair Bruce added:"This is fantastic news for Feniton. After having to put up with the constant threat of flooding for years, an end at last may be in sight. I believe these works will go a long way to securing a dryer, safer and less stressful future for Feniton."