£30,000 bill for flood defences at Shrewsbury river site
Developers behind plans to turn an historic but derelict former riverside warehouse in Shrewsbury into a hotel would be required to stump up more than £30,000 to help pay for local flood defences, it emerged today.
The Environment Agency has said that it would be looking for the contribution if the plans for The Stew in Frankwell, get the go-ahead.
It wants £32,000 to help pay for the upkeep of Frankwell's flood defence system.
Developer Gareth Leese, from Gallery Design & Development, wants to create a 42-bedroom boutique hotel, which would create 50 jobs and include a spa with pool and gym, plus a bar and a restaurant.
But the demolition plans are being fiercely opposed by Shrewsbury Civic Society, as well as a number of other local organisations.
The Environment Agency said it required further information on the flood risk plans for the site and added that a decision on whether the work should be given the go-ahead should be deferred until this is provided.
But Tessa Foxall, senior planning advisor for the agency, said if the plans did go ahead, the site would benefit from the Frankwell Flood Defence Scheme and the Environment Agency's flood warning service. "On the basis that this is the redevelopment of an existing building, we would seek a £27,000 contribution to take into account the benefit to the proposed development of deploying the demountable defences over the lifetime of the development," she said.
"This figure has been based on a detailed assessment of our maintenance and operation costs for the Frankwell flood defence scheme, worked out as a proportion for the lifetime of the development, taken as 60 years for commercial development.
"Given the scale of the proposal we would also seek £5,000 towards maintaining and operating our flood warning service, required to manage the risk to the development, giving an overall figure of £32,000 in developer contributions.
"We would like to comment that in the absence of contributions that the cost of flood warning and any maintenance, rebuild, or structural alterations' would potentially place an increased burden on the public purse.
"It may also place additional burden/risk to life on the emergency services and/or any rescuers," she added.
The money would need to be agreed and secured prior to planning permission being granted.
