On Wednesday (16th October) the Labour MP for Hitchin, Alistair Strathern, spotlighted Langford’s devastating flooding in a Parliamentary debate.
Historic levels of rainfall have sullied Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire in recent weeks, but in Langford, on Southland Rise, residents’ homes were severely damaged when flood prevention measures in their new development failed.
In the debate, Strathern condemned the failure, calling it catastrophic for affected residents. Strathern demanded a review of local and national planning rules to prioritise flood defences and called for stricter enforcement of mitigation measures in all new developments, to ensure “they actually work as is claimed they should”.
Alistair Strathern MP said:
“Flooding devastates families. It’s been heartbreaking to hear from residents in Langford, on Southland whose homes have been wrecked by recent flooding.
“Developers must be held accountable for failures that leave our communities vulnerable – flood protection must always be a priority – not an afterthought. It’s why I called for a thorough review of flood risk in local planning and for strict, enforceable standards to ensure new developments meet the highest flood protection requirements.
“My team and I are continuing to support residents through this difficult time, if you need of support, please do get in touch with my office and we’ll do all we can to help.”
ENDS
Notes to Editors
You can see a Hansard transcript of Bedfordshire flooding debate, here.
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