Property flood resilience scheme

For Higher Rocombe residents, please see the update from DCC below:

Further to our telephone conversation. Please see below for a summary of where we are with PFR in locations such as Higher Rocombe that fall outside of the Stokeinteignhead scheme.

Back in 2019, when we informed the residents of Stoke that the proposed works in the village would be moving away from a flood storage scheme, we held a public consultation and drop in session to explain the PFR scheme that would instead be pursued. At this meeting a number of residents from outside of the village enquired whether this included their properties (through being part of the same Parish) We informed them that this wouldn’t be the case as the funding formula meant that the properties targeted by the scheme had to be hydraulically connected. (I.E. all had to be at risk from the same source of flooding in a particular location) So unfortunately, we couldn’t include the likes of Higher Rocombe in the main works. However, we were able to give them the positive news that DCC offered a grant scheme that would be able to fund a PFR installation on their property, and that although it would have to be self-managed by the individual homeowner it would likely be quicker to deliver, as it wouldn’t be constrained by the need for DCC to allocate resource, develop a business case or go through an extensive procurement exercise. (All the things we have had to do for the main village).

So, off the back of the drop-in sessions, we sent out application forms and agreements to those interested properties for them to sign and return. Which they did in July of 2019 and we then organised for a survey to be undertaken by an independent consultant JBA in September 2019. The results of that were given to the property owner with the expectation, as per the agreement they signed, that they would go out to the market and obtain three quotes for us to review and then approve accordingly. This is where things have gotten slightly challenging and we are waiting for the quotes to arrive. Whilst the PFR market has inevitably slowed over this last 12 months as a result of the pandemic, it is still very much operational as we are receiving quotes from other homeowners who signed up to the grant with little or no issues

In the interim we have made suggestions as to which contractors may be interested in the work including recently suggesting that the Stoke contractor may well be interested. We have also sent chasers out to attempt to move things along. However, this has yet to lead to any progress from the residents. The difficulty we have is that we allocate budget to those that apply, and having properties sit with no progress means that we are having to decline others who are coming to us. So, although we absolutely don’t want to, it may get to a point where we have to rescind the offer of the grant to allow others to access it.

Now there may be new properties who are yet to approach us and if so, please see the link which will take them to our website and the application form for the grant scheme. https://www.devon.gov.uk/floodriskmanagement/flood-resilience/property-flood-resilience-funding-scheme/

I hope this helps clarify the situation.